


Turn the Page

by bubblygal92



Series: Celestial Love [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-20 00:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 62,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1489645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblygal92/pseuds/bubblygal92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as things appear to be settling down, the multiverse is thrown into disarray. An old enemy is stirring in the background, and the Doctor and Rose have to realise that neither the past nor the future is easy to escape. Sequel to ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and third in the ‘Celestial Love’ verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home: The Powell Estate

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.

The TARDIS materialised slowly in the alleyway between Kerry’s market and the chippy. The residents of Powell Estate paid it no mind as they went about their business, hoping to get their shopping done before nightfall. An air of tension hung around the usually mundane surroundings, though not palpable enough to dim the continuous chatter and cacophony of voices.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor waited patiently for Rose, who had rushed to her room when he had been piloting them to the Powell Estate. The Doctor had successfully brought them to only two months after their last visit but it had been close to two years for the Doctor and Rose. 

Rather aware that her mum would realise that it had been far longer than two months for Rose, she had decided to try and make herself appear as young as possible to soften the blow. The Doctor didn’t deign to tell her that Jackie was bound to pick up on it, regardless of what Rose did.

To her credit, Rose did her best to appear younger. She had dug out her baggy jeans and bright pink t-shirt and hoodie from the back of the wardrobe, and tied her hair into two braids. Even her makeup was a bit on the heavy side. The Doctor raised his eyebrows when she emerged into the console room, but didn’t say anything until she paused at the doors.

“Something wrong?” he inquired, slightly concerned.

She shrugged a little. “Just nervous, I guess,” she said. “Are you sure it has been two months?”

“Two months to the day that we were here with Rory,” said the Doctor, giving the scanner a quick glance. “Rose?” he asked again, when she made no move to leave the TARDIS and chewed nervously on her lips.

“I’m being silly, aren’t I?” she asked embarrassed, loosening her braids and combing her fingers through her hair.

The Doctor’s eyes softened as he walked up to her. “Jackie is your mother, and I am certain she will understand.”

“I know she will,” said Rose, tossing off the hoodie and picking up her leather jacket. “I’m just not sure how I will even start to explain for her to understand.”

“I have complete faith in you, Rose,” said the Doctor, cupping her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’ll know the right thing to say.”

Heartened, Rose nodded with a soft smile. “‘Kay,” she said. “You comin’?”

“Do you want me to?” he asked cautiously, rather aware that she might not want him there until she’d had a chance to catch up with her mother.

“Yeah,” she said after a brief moment of hesitation. The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

They opened the doors and emerged out into the cooling late afternoon in London. The Doctor kept his eyes trained on Rose, smiling a little when the familiar surroundings seemed to calm her down. 

The walk towards Bucknall House was quiet, with Rose too busy soaking up the familiar surroundings of the Estate and the Doctor’s attention being completely focused on Rose. They climbed up the stairs quickly, and Rose had to marvel at the fact that the usual breathlessness she experienced while climbing these familiar stairs was suspiciously lacking. Running around and saving the universes had done her stamina a huge favour. _Well_ , thought Rose, with a sideways glance at the Doctor. _Not just the running._

The door to number 48 was slightly ajar and Rose could hear the telly rattling off some show that had been running longer than Rose had been alive. Rose braced herself with a deep breath and pushed the door open.

“Rose Marion Tyler, where the bleedin’ hell have you been?”

“Mum, I can explain.”

~

Jocelyn Miller pulled her threadbare coat closer to her body and tried not to shiver violently at the cold afternoon air. She kept her gaze down, as her mum had told her over and over again, and did not look up even when she realised that she was being followed. She increased her pace then, seeing the cross street only a few yards away.

Mrs. Davis’ bakery was right on the corner of the cross street and she knew Jocelyn and her mum well. If she went in there and told her that someone was following her, Jocelyn knew that Mrs. Davis would keep her safe until her mum came for her. Gaining some of her courage back, Jocelyn walked as fast as her eleven year old’s legs could carry her.

The afternoon seemed to get colder and even as Jocelyn felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead, she shivered violently. She was almost there now, and could smell the buns that Mrs. Davis sold off right before she closed up shop. Throwing caution to the wind, Jocelyn broke into a dead sprint. 

Behind her, she heard her pursuer’s steps grow fainter and fainter and she slowed down a little. Maybe nobody had been following her and she was just overreacting. It was all too possible considering how much her mum had put the fear of kidnappers into Jocelyn’s mind. Four estate kids missing, her mum had said. Gone for a day and then back home as if nothing had ever happened.

But Jocelyn knew that it wasn’t completely true. Carrie Taylor had been Jocelyn’s classmate and she hadn’t been quite the same since she had disappeared and reappeared after a day. She had left the band, and stopped coming to the hiding spot behind the shed where Jocelyn and her friends went to find the half smoked cigarettes left by the older kids. She never spoke much to anybody, and her grades had suddenly gone up. It unnerved Jocelyn to even look at Carrie anymore.

The bakery was so close that Jocelyn could tell that the buns had been slathered with mango jam, not raspberry like always. Her mouth watered and she decided that she would buy one of them on her way home. Her earlier fear had all but melted away and she slowed her pace as she neared the bakery. 

“You dropped your headband.”

Jocelyn gasped and whirled around at Carrie’s voice. She was standing right behind Jocelyn and holding up a bright pink headband. 

“I-It’s not mine,” stammered Jocelyn, some remote part of her brain shuddering at the thought of the bright pink headband in her red hair. 

“Oh,” said Carrie, with no surprise whatsoever and lowered her hand. “Never mind then. Are you going home?”

Jocelyn nodded mutely, wondering what Carrie would do if she just started running. Something about the deadpan look in her eyes was scaring Jocelyn. 

“Can I walk with you?” asked Carrie, still with the same look on her face. “My mum says I am not to walk alone anymore.”

Jocelyn nodded again and Carrie fell into step beside her. The two girls walked in silence for a while, and Jocelyn started to relax again when Carrie grabbed her arm. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

“Wh-What?” asked Jocelyn, feeling her throat go dry.

“I heard something down that alley,” said Carrie, pointing to their right. “Come on, let’s go look.”

Jocelyn shook her arm from her grip. “I’m not wandering down any alleys,” she said firmly. “You shouldn’t either.”

“Oh come on, someone could need help. I think I see someone with our school uniform,” said Carrie as she walked into the alley slowly.

Jocelyn considered running and leaving Carrie behind but she had seen the familiar blue and grey checkered pattern of skirt as well. Someone from their school was down that alley. Remembering the recent disappearances, Jocelyn realised that this person from their school might be getting abducted. She thought about going for help, but Carrie had already gone down the alley and Jocelyn huffed in frustration before running after her.

The alley was dimly lit and Jocelyn could only barely make out the girl at the end of the alley. She had red hair much like Jocelyn’s, except it hung down straight instead of the neat braids that Jocelyn’s mum had made in the morning. “Hello?” called Jocelyn, realising that she couldn’t see Carrie. “Carrie?”

There was no answer and Jocelyn decided to move towards the girl instead, who had her back to Jocelyn. “Hello?” called Jocelyn. “Are you alright?”

The girl turned around slowly and Jocelyn only had a brief moment to realise that the girl was perfectly identical to Jocelyn herself, with the same deadpan look in her eyes as Carrie. Before she could scream, her world had gone dark.

~

_“Rose Marion Tyler, where the bleedin’ hell have you been?”_

_“Mum, I can explain.”_

Despite that quick response, Rose found herself quite unable to form words in the face of her mother’s expectant look tinged with anger. She blushed deeply and tried to think of what to say when the Doctor took it upon himself to break the awkward air in the flat.

“How about some tea?” the Doctor asked with a cheerful smile.

Mother and daughter turned to him with identical looks of incredulity and the smile vanished from his face as he slunk off to the kitchen, presumably to make tea.

Jackie turned back to Rose. “Still as mad as ever, isn’t he?” she said.

“Dunno, he might have got worse,” said Rose with a small smile. It held for a moment before she ran to her mum and threw her arms around her. “I missed you,” she sobbed, not even bothering to hide the tears flowing from her eyes.

Jackie held her tightly, feeling her own eyes watering. “I missed you too, sweetheart,” she said. “How long were you gone? You look so much older than when I last saw you.”

“It’s been a while,” confessed Rose, still hugging her tightly. “So much has happened, mum. I don’t even know where to start.”

Jackie pulled away from the hug and in a familiar gesture, wiped the tears from Rose’s face with a hankie. “You start from the beginning, love,” she said, leading Rose to the sofa. “Himself is making tea, and you and I are going to have a chat. Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

Rose chuckled through her tears and nodded. “It’s been two years since we were last here, I think,” she said, looking at her mum with slightly scared eyes.

Jackie’s eyes went wide. “Two bleedin’ years?” she shrieked. “Doctor!”

“Mum, it isn’t his fault,” said Rose hastily as they heard the clinking of china suddenly go silent in the kitchen. “Lots of stuff happened, ‘kay?”

“You keep saying that but I haven’t heard what all this stuff was,” said Jackie. “What was so important it took you two years to visit your own mother?”

“We were in another universe,” said Rose.

Jackie narrowed her eyes. “Is that some fancy way of saying you and him were off doing god-knows-what in that blue box of his?” she asked.

“What?” asked Rose, appalled. “Mum, no. We were literally in another universe. Another Earth, just like this one. And we weren’t just visiting either. We were trapped there.”

Jackie stared at Rose as if expecting her to yell out ‘Just kidding!’ at any moment. When the silence continued to lengthen, she glared towards the kitchen. “Why did he go and get you trapped there then?” she asked loudly.

“Mum, it was my fault, not his,” she said. “I have been infected...by this radiation.”

Jackie’s anger instantly morphed into concern. “What infection? Rose, are you…?”

“I’m fine,” said Rose quickly. “Not dying or anything, I promise you. Not even sick. But it is not good for this universe if I stay here. The Doctor’s people took us into the other universe to keep me in quarantine.”

“His people? The fancy time travellin’ folk then?” asked Jackie, still looking shaken.

Rose nodded. “They helped keep me safe and have given us a week here to visit,” she said.

Jackie looked up in alarm. “You’re not going back, are you?” she asked.

Rose’s eyes softened. “Mum, I have to. I can’t stay here. I’d be putting the whole universe at risk.”

“I don’t care,” snapped Jackie. “I don’t want you in another bleedin’ universe where you can’t even visit. Half the time I don’t even know if you are alive or dead and now...no, you’re staying right here, you are.”

Rose sighed softly and took her mum’s hand in comfort. “I am sorry, mum, I really am. You have no idea how much I missed you. Not getting to talk to you on the phone or visiting here was so hard. If I had my way, I would not go back to that universe either. But I can’t do that.”

“But you can, sweetheart,” said Jackie, tears filling her eyes. “It’s not safe for you to go away.”

“It’s not safe if I stay either,” said Rose gently, sniffing lightly. “The universe will be destroyed if the Time Lords don’t kill me first.”

At Jackie’s gasp, Rose realised her slip. “They’re trying to kill you?” shrieked Jackie.

“Not really, mum,” said Rose hastily, trying to placate her. “They just wanted to make sure that the universe was not destroyed. One person’s life isn’t such a huge deal in the grander scheme of things, I guess.”

“Like hell it isn’t,” snapped Jackie. “You’re my daughter and the most important thing in my universe and I’ll be damned if I let a bunch of posh, time travel idiots take you away from me.”

Rose chuckled. “That’s more like it,” she said.

Jackie did not smile, but her eyes softened. “You were away for two years?” she asked, as if she still couldn’t believe it.

Rose smiled sadly and nodded. “Almost two, yeah. Wanna hear about it?” she asked.

“‘Course I do,” said Jackie at once, before raising her voice. “And you can stop hiding in the kitchen now.”

The Doctor emerged from the kitchen bearing a sheepish smile and a tray of tea things. Jackie glared at him as he set the tray down and went about making the tea. “Don’t think I’m not gonna have words with you,” she said coolly, glaring daggers at the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded and handed her a cup of tea. “I would deserve every word, Jackie,” he said sincerely.

Jackie looked between him and Rose for a few moments and huffed. “Fine then,” she said. “You can start by telling me how long you’ve been shagging my daughter.”

“Mum!” said Rose, shocked and embarrassed.

The Doctor didn’t bat an eye at the question. “Nearly six months,” he answered casually. “I could give you the precise…”

“Oh god,” muttered Rose, dropping her head into her hands.

Jackie nodded curtly at the Doctor. “And?”

“And, I have asked Rose to bond with me which she has chosen to accept,” he said.

“What’s that then?” asked Jackie.

“It’s a bit like getting engaged, mum,” said Rose meekly.

Jackie’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’re engaged?!”

Rose sighed and looked at the Doctor. “I think we are going to need something stronger than tea.”


	2. Home: The Little Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some discussion about motherhood and children in this chapter. Nothing explicit, I promise.

As evening fell over London, Rose sat at the table in her mother’s kitchen, trying very hard not to fidget. She could hear Jackie gathering up plates from the kitchen, muttering out loud if she ought to open the good bottle of wine or not. Rose didn’t answer, lest she receive another tongue lashing from her mother about getting engaged to a mind-reading, time travelling alien.

All things considered, Rose knew it could have gone a lot worse. Jackie had been angry, but willing to listen and understand the bizarre world that Rose was trying to explain to her. Rose could see the worry plainly etched on her mum’s face through it all, and the guilt weighing on her heart had only grown worse. She knew she had to bear through it though, because she owed her mum that much at least. Still, it did not make it easier to face her.

Surprisingly, it was the Doctor who was acting the mediator between them. He had answered Jackie’s questions, even the most impertinent ones, with brutal honesty and accepted every one of her berating words just as he said he would. Rose had been dumbstruck by his ability to keep cool in the face of her mother’s wrath, and she knew very well that Jackie was pleased with it too. 

Rose found herself wondering how it was that her mother could accept the parallel universe and two years that had passed in between better than the fact that the Doctor and Rose were engaged. Even though they weren’t, as Rose insisted when Jackie demanded why she couldn’t see the ring on Rose’s finger. The explanation about the telepathic bond had taken time to explain, and Jackie remained firmly convinced that the Doctor could read minds. Rose had seen the first signs of exasperation on the Doctor’s face then, and she’d hastily changed the subject to dinner which the Doctor agreed to bring from the Thai takeaway place down the street. 

Jackie had remained irritated when the Doctor had departed with a carefully written out food order from her mother, even after he assured her that he was capable of remembering it perfectly. Rose had situated herself at the kitchen table, trying hard to stave off the headache she was getting while Jackie insisted that some psychic, mind-reading thing was not going to work on her and the Doctor would marry Rose right and proper if he did. 

“Jackie? You in ‘ere?”

“Bev!” Jackie emerged from the kitchen to greet her friend. “Thought you’d be out with that no good Fred from down the hall.”

Bev waved her hand airily in front of her. “Fred is old news, Jackie,” she said and her bright blue eyes surrounded by equally blue eyeshadow found Rose. “Rose! Jackie didn’t say you were coming home.”

Rose smiled a little and let Bev smother her with a hug. “Yeah, bit of a surprise,” she answered.

“Oh, but look at you,” gushed Bev, looking her up and down. “Look so thin and pretty, you do. Is that Doctor fellow of yours making sure you eat enough?”

“He’s making sure of something alright,” sniped Jackie, pouring some wine and giving Bev the glass. “Madam here got engaged.”

Bev’s eyes widened and she snatched up Rose’s left hand at once. Rose smiled to cover her embarrassment and gently extricated her hand from Bev’s grip. “We haven’t made it official,” she fibbed.

“You better make sure that he puts a ring on your hand quick as he can, lovie,” said Bev, gulping down wine at a rate that would alarm the Doctor for the vintage not being treated the way it deserved. “All the long engagements these young blokes get into these days just make it easier for them not to settle down.”

Rose nodded with a polite smile, sipping the wine that her mum had given her to bite back the scream of frustration building inside her.

Bev was apparently satisfied that she had driven her point home with Rose, and turned to Jackie to catch her up on the latest gossip from the Estate. “Did you hear, Jackie? Fiona’s little girl didn’t come home from school today.”

Jackie made a noise of sympathy in her throat and drank her wine. The nonchalant response from her usually protective mother took Rose aback. “Fiona’s girl?” asked Rose. “Jocelyn?”

Bev nodded. “She’d be the fifth one to go missing,” she said.

“Five kids have gone missing?” exclaimed Rose, shocked at their calm discussion.

“If you can call it that,” said Jackie. “They go missing and turn up the next day. Not a hair on their head harmed.”

Rose’s brow furrowed as Bev nodded at that. “If you ask me, I’d reckon it’s drugs,” she said.

“You always think it’s drugs,” said Jackie, rolling her eyes. “I was talking to Billy yesterday and if anything, his boy has been studying more since his little vanishing act.”

“Could be those ADHD drugs that make them focus,” said Bev, apparently hell bent on her drugs theory.

“What did the police say?” interrupted Rose.

“What they always say,” said Jackie with a sniff. “Estate kids getting into mischief. Nothing to worry about.”

Rose wasn’t surprised. “So, they just disappear one day and come back home without anything wrong?” she asked again.

“Said so, didn’t I,” said Jackie, refilling her glass of wine.

“Nikki Thorne wouldn’t agree, Jackie,” said Bev. “She’s convinced that her little boy is possessed.”

“Why?” asked Rose, remembering Nikki who was only a year older than Rose. Nikki had got pregnant at fifteen with her little boy Joshua. Rose had lost touch with her over the years, but she didn’t remember Nikki being particularly religious.

“Said he’s gone all quiet like. Makes no mischief,” said Bev with a snort. “I told her I’d call it a blessing, not possession.”

Jackie raised a glass in agreement and downed the wine. “‘Course there’s Bobby Renford spouting nonsense too,” she said, her words slurring slightly.

“Bobby Renford?” asked Rose, remembering the weedy kid from school. “Thought he was in prison.”

“Got out a month ago,” said Bev. “He’s been talking alien abduction. Always knew he was a meth head but I suppose one too many of those was bound to drive him bonkers.”

“He’s not a nutter, that one,” said Jackie, looking very sleepy as she polished off her third glass of wine. “Aliens are real.”

“Got too much wine in her, poor thing,” said Bev sympathetically. “Get her in bed, Rose. I’ll drop by tomorrow with breakfast.”

Rose nodded and hugged Bev goodbye before escorting Jackie to her bedroom. She would sleep it off for a few hours and then eat before going back to bed. Rose knew that she’d had a long day with everything that she had been told, so she kissed her mum’s forehead and pulled the duvet on top of her so she could sleep.

When she came outside, she saw the Doctor sonicing the flat door open, holding two bags of food.

“I come bearing food,” he declared with a wide grin.

“Shh, mum’s asleep,” said Rose as she took one of the bags from him and led him to the kitchen.

“Asleep? So soon?” he asked in confusion as Rose fixed up two plates of food for them.

“She had some wine when her friend Bev stopped by,” said Rose. “Speaking of, I think something weird’s going on here.”

The Doctor’s ears pricked up at that. “What do you mean?” he asked, accepting the plate from Rose.

“Kids are going missing and then turning up a day later. Five of them in a fortnight or so,” said Rose as they sat down on the sofa in the living room with their dinner.

The Doctor frowned. “Were they harmed?” he asked.

“Nothing obvious, no, but they are becoming all quiet and studious, I think,” said Rose.

The Doctor pursed his lips. “That isn’t much to go on,” he said. “Could be nothing.”

“That’s what the police think anyway,” said Rose. “There’s this bloke, Bobby Renford, I knew him from school. He’s been mumbling about aliens.”

The Doctor raised his eyebrows sceptically. “And how reliable is this Bobby Renford?” he asked.

“Not very,” admitted Rose. “But Bev was right. He’s a user, not insane. He might have seen something.” The Doctor nodded noncommittally as he ate. Rose huffed in irritation. “You don’t believe me?” she asked.

“Rose,” he sighed. “Of course I believe you. I am just not sure that there is anything here worth looking into.”

“Five kids going missing is nothing to look into?” asked Rose incredulously.

“They are not missing though,” he said softly. “They come right back home and there’s nothing wrong with them. If you want, we could check up on them but I don’t think there is anything mysterious going on here.”

At her look of disbelief, he sighed again. “Rose, are you sure you are not just reading too much into things?” he asked. “I know things have been overwhelming with telling Jackie and all…”

Rose’s face twisted in anger and she set her uneaten plate of food aside before leaving towards her bedroom. The door slammed shut a moment later. The Doctor sighed and turned to go after her when he heard the bedroom door open, but it was Jackie, who emerged from the other room.

“Who slammed the door?” asked Jackie, her words slightly slurred. She saw the Doctor’s chagrined face, and looked between Rose’s closed door and back to him. “You two have a lovers’ tiff?” she asked, walking into the living room.

“No,” said the Doctor shortly, but Jackie stood in his way before he could get to Rose’s room. “Jackie, I need to talk to her.”

“I’m sure you do,” she said. “But I need to talk to you first.”

The Doctor sighed but knew that there would be no point in talking to Rose before she’d had a chance to cool down, so he let Jackie lead him towards the sofa. “What did you want to know?” he asked with another sigh.

“Don’t look so glum,” said Jackie, sharply. “Did she tell you about the Estate kids going missing?”

“She did, yes,” he said, not wanting to discuss this right now. “Jackie, I don’t want to…”

“I think there’s something wrong there,” said Jackie, not giving him a chance to say anything. “The kids who come back, they are so changed. They don’t smile and laugh like before, it’s like they’ve turned into zombies.” At the Doctor’s look of interest, she continued. “I don’t know if it’s drugs or aliens or what, but something’s happening to those children, Doctor.”

“I see,” he said and then rubbed his eyes. “Rose tried to tell me the same, but uh, I…”

“You didn’t believe her,” nodded Jackie. At his look of surprise, she rolled her eyes. “I was awake and eavesdropping, so what? It’s my house.”

He chuckled and nodded. “So it is,” he said. 

“I know my daughter, Doctor,” said Jackie, sounding as calm as the Doctor had ever heard her. “She feels too much that one and doesn’t want anyone to see how much it hurts. When she was seven, she twisted her ankle before her gymnastics competition and didn’t tell me until after she’d got the bronze,” she reminisced with a sad smile. “I know it hasn’t been easy for her to tell me everything about what the two of you have been up to but I am so grateful that she has.”

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out.

“What are you sorry for?” asked Jackie, her voice getting back the snappish quality. “I know you love my daughter and I know you have kept her safe. You could have abandoned her in that other world but you stuck by her and made sure she was okay. God knows I don’t ask for much from Rose’s blokes, but if I ever wanted her to settle down, it would be with you.”

“Thank you, I think,” said the Doctor, unsure if he was being given a compliment or not.

Jackie nodded sternly in reply. “Doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for not giving her a proper ring,” she said. “I know your fancy mind reading stuff is important and all, but Rose is human. Don’t you forget that.”

“I assure you, Jackie, I will never forget that,” he said.

Jackie looked satisfied enough at that. “Fine then. Go and make up with my daughter,” she said. “And don’t go thinking you can stay the night in her bed,” she added as he rushed towards Rose’s room.

“I won’t, Jackie,” he promised, before trying the door knob which turned under his hand easily. 

The room was in semi-darkness when he entered, with only the night lamp on the side table being switched on. Rose was curled up on her bed, turned away from the lamp. The Doctor navigated the clutter in her room, until he was sitting on the bed behind Rose.

“Rose,” he said softly, knowing that she was awake. “I am sorry.”

“Me too,” he heard her whisper.

Encouraged, he decided to lie down next to her on the tiny little bed. “Could you look at me, please?” he pleaded and sighed in relief when she turned on her side to face him. “I will set the TARDIS running scans for any alien tech in the vicinity, and we will go and talk to your friend Bobby first thing tomorrow,” he promised.

Rose smiled a little and nodded. “It’s not just about this, you know,” she said softly, looking down at the duvet instead of him.

“I know, and I am sorry,” he said, pulling her close so she could rest her head on his chest. “You are so strong, Rose Tyler, and I am truly sorry about what I said.” He felt her nod, but then he could feel her nervousness as well. “Was there something else?” he asked lightly.

She tilted her head to look at him and nodded slowly. “All this talk of kids reminded me of something that Morgaine said,” she said.

“Morgaine?” he asked, surprised. 

“She lured me out of the castle in Camelot with this little girl,” said Rose.

“Morgaine is capable of many telepathic tricks, Rose,” said the Doctor, looking concerned. “Do you have a headache? Any lingering pain?”

“No, nothing of the sort,” she assured him. “When I asked her who the girl was, she said she took the image from my memories and this whole time I have been trying to remember if she was someone we met on one of our trips. But I can’t.”

The Doctor looked worried as he encouraged Rose to move her head onto the pillow so he could hold her gaze. “What did she look like?” he asked.

Rose shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “Blonde hair, curly, I think,” she said, running her fingers absently through the Doctor’s curls. “Her eyes might have been blue but it was hard to tell.” When the Doctor was quiet for a long moment, Rose grew worried. “What is it?” she asked.

“Morgaine said she got her from your mind?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Rose. “I know we haven’t met anyone like that, but…”

“But?” he prompted.

“But she seemed really familiar too,” said Rose, her brow furrowing. “Like I should know her, but didn’t.”

The pause was even more obvious now and Rose could practically see the cogs turning in the Doctor’s head. She waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

“I think,” he began after a long bout of silence. “I think I might know who she is.” At Rose’s questioning look, he sighed. “Do you remember the page I showed you about Arkytior and the Other from the book?”

“The one that you had torn off, yeah,” nodded Rose. “What about it--oh.”

“Yes, oh,” he agreed.

“But I thought that was just a rumour,” said Rose, confused. 

“It wasn’t,” he said. “When the Guardians had us swap places, Arkytior told me that…”

“That she had borne a daughter?” asked Rose aghast. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Honestly, I was not trying to keep it from you on purpose, Rose,” he said earnestly.

“But she did say that,” said Rose. “They really did have a daughter.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “They did.”

A breath escaped Rose with a whoosh. “Did you see her?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he answered. “They-they had already sent her to safety through the vortex.”

“What does that mean?” asked Rose, alarmed.

“Not the way that they cast out Arkytior, no,” he assured her quickly. “This was done to keep her safe. Where she will arrive, we cannot say.”

“Will? So she’s still in the vortex then?” asked Rose apprehensively.

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” he said. At her look of frightened disbelief, he stroked her cheek softly. “I would know if she were anywhere in the multiverse. We would share genetic matter, not to mention a telepathic link to erm…”

“To us, you mean,” said Rose quietly. “That was what you were going to say, weren’t you?”

He looked at her with apprehension but nodded reluctantly. “Yes,” he said. “I always wondered how Susan was related to me, and now, it makes sense.” When Rose was quiet, staring unseeing at the duvet, he touched her cheek softly. “Rose?”

She looked up and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping the tears away. “I-I just, I think I need some air.”

“Rose,” he caught her arm gently before she could leave. “Don’t run from me, please. Just talk to me.”

Rose wriggled away from him half-heartedly but at his sincere gaze, she stopped. “I don’t think I...God, this makes me sound awful.” The Doctor’s gaze didn’t waver and he stroked her cheek in reassurance. “I’ve never wanted to be a mother,” she blurted out, trying not to crumple when she felt the Doctor stiffen. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but…”

“Hey, shh, it’s okay,” he said, pulling her into his embrace. 

“No, no, it’s not,” she sobbed. “God, I am a horrible person.”

“No, Rose, of course not,” he said, rocking her gently. “You are the most compassionate person I know. You are anything but horrible.”

“But I am,” she said, pulling away and looking at him through tear-filled eyes. “I don’t think I can be a mother, Doctor. I am sorry, but I can’t. If one day we do find her, I am not sure if I can get over that and oh god, I don’t know anything about being a mother…”

“Shh, shh, Rose,” said the Doctor, running a soothing hand through her hair. “You are getting a bit ahead of yourself, precious girl. You don’t have to be anything that you don’t want to be, Rose.”

“But I already am, aren’t I?” she asked tearfully. “I am a mother, whether I like it or not.”

“You are no more a mother than I am a father, Rose,” he said gently. “We didn’t choose this, you and I, and it doesn’t make you a horrible person if you don’t want it.”

“I can’t just walk away though, can I?” she said sadly.

“Do you want to?” he asked. “From me?”

“No, not from you,” she said hastily. “Oh god, Doctor, I just...a mother…”

“It’s alright, Rose,” he said, hugging her tightly. “For all we know, it might not happen. But if it does, we will decide what to do. Together.”

Rose looked at him and her lips quirked up a little. “What if I still feel the same?” she asked.

“I meant it when I said together, Rose,” he said solemnly. “What you and I both want. We can deal with it as it comes.”

They were quiet for a few moments, with the Doctor letting Rose absorb that notion. When he felt the tension leave her body, he smiled and kissed her forehead. “Get some sleep,” he said softly. “We still have a mystery to solve.”

“Can you stay?” she asked.

“Your mother has explicitly forbidden me to,” he said and smiled when she did. “I’ll get the scans started. You need your rest.”

“‘Kay,” said Rose as she tilted up her head and kissed him softly. “See you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” he said and kissed her again before easing himself out of her bed. “I’ll be here bright and early.”

He blew her a kiss from the doorway and at her delighted smile, he closed the door after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say right off that I won't be turning this into a full-time kid fic, nor will I be turning Rose into a children-hating woman or something. Just trust me for now, and watch as things unfold.


	3. Home: Closer

The next morning, Rose was up when she heard her mum in the kitchen making her morning tea. The familiarity of home brought a smile to her face as she jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up.

The events of the previous day caught up while she was brushing her teeth and her wide smile dimmed a little. The extra spring in her step was gone by the time she emerged out into the living room and hugged her mum good morning.

“Breakfast’s on the table,” said Jackie absently. “Cooked a proper fry up and all.”

“Thought Bev was coming over with breakfast,” said Rose as she picked at some toast.

“Called me some time ago and told me she ended up with Fred last night after she left here,” said Jackie, rolling her eyes. “I told her he’s no good.” She looked at her daughter and sat down at the table next to her. “You and your Doctor sort out your little tiff then?” she asked.

“Wasn’t a tiff,” said Rose. “Just bein’ silly.”

“Right, and I’m the bloody Queen,” said Jackie with a snort. “What’s goin’ on with you two?”

Rose set her toast aside and looked at her mum. “What did you feel like when you were pregnant with me?” she asked. “And before you ask,” she added to her mum’s alarmed look. “No, I am not pregnant.”

“I should bloody well hope not,” snapped Jackie, glaring at her just the same. “You make sure he marries you before you decide to get saddled with a baby, Rose.”

“Mum,” said Rose exasperatedly. “Give over, yeah? I just asked a simple question and if you don’t wanna say then fine…”

“When did I say I wouldn’t answer,” said Jackie indignantly and then exhaled thoughtfully. “I was scared out of my wits when I found out. Pete and I had just got engaged and hadn’t exactly planned it, you know. Mum was furious when she found out. She barely liked Pete as is, and that didn’t help at all.”

“Nan didn’t like Dad?” asked Rose, surprised.

“She said she loathed him, but I knew she was secretly fond of him,” said Jackie with a sad smile. 

“Kind of like you and the Doctor then,” Rose couldn’t help but say. She laughed when Jackie made a face. “Don’t be like that. I know you like that he’s so honest about everything you ask.”

“Don’t know what you mean,” said Jackie primly. “Anyway, we were talking about me getting pregnant.”

“So, Nan was angry?” prompted Rose, eager to know.

Jackie nodded. “Right and proper angry. I wasn’t much better, you know. Barely twenty and up the duff with the first bloke I’d been with,” she said.

“You didn’t want it?” asked Rose softly.

Jackie looked away sadly. “I thought I didn’t,” she said. “I was too young, and Pete and I had dreams. A baby would change all that.”

“What changed then?” asked Rose.

“Knew you were something wonderful,” said Jackie, looking at her with a soft look in her eyes. “When I stopped being angry, I just knew that I wanted you to come into this world. It didn’t matter if Pete and I stayed on the Estate all our lives, if all we got was you.”

“But you and Dad always wanted kids, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, we always planned to have them,” nodded Jackie. “The time wasn’t right, but you were.”

Rose smiled a little. “What if...what if one of you didn’t want the baby but the other did?” she asked hesitatingly, looking away from her mother’s knowing gaze.

“You shouldn’t keep holdin’ yourself back because of Jimmy forever, sweetheart,” she said gently.

“This isn’t about Jimmy,” protested Rose.

“No, this is about you and the Doctor,” said Jackie. “But I know you said you wouldn’t want kids ‘cos of that wanker Jimmy.”

“I still don’t,” Rose blurted out.

Jackie looked at her speculatively for a moment. “You remember your cousin Amber? Remember what she was like?” she asked.

“You’re saying I’ll change my mind once I am old enough or something?” asked Rose sceptically, remembering her cousin Amber who had been vehement all her life about never having children but had three planned children in five years after hitting thirty.

“No,” said Jackie simply. “I am telling you that sometimes people change their minds. Vera from No. 34 always wanted kids but couldn’t go through it when she got pregnant. What I am trying to get through your thick skull, Rose Marion Tyler, is that you are neither me, nor Amber or Vera. You’re you, and nobody else’s decision will help you.”

Rose stared at her mother with a look of confusion.

“You have to decide for yourself, Rose,” said Jackie seriously. “If you don’t want to have children because you don’t want them, then you tell your Doctor and you two see if you can move past it together. If you are holding yourself back only because of a bad relationship with Jimmy, or because you are scared of being a mum, then you are an idiot.”

“I’m scared I won’t be able to do it,” admitted Rose in a low voice.

“Then you are like any other mum in the entire world,” said Jackie warmly. “I know you, sweetheart, even when you come home after two years. I said it to the Doctor and I’ll say it to you. You have a big heart and a lot of love to give. If you did have children some day, I know you would a great mother.”

Rose’s eyes sparkled with tears as she got up and hugged her mother tightly. “Not as good as you though,” she said.

“Oh stop it now,” sniffed Jackie, hugging her tightly. “Don’t make me all weepy in the morning. My face will puff up.”

Rose laughed wetly as she pulled away and kissed her mum’s cheek. “Thanks, mum,” she said.

“Yeah, alright, alright,” said Jackie, as she wiped off Rose’s tears with a hankie. “Now, finish off your breakfast, and not just the toast. I know you didn’t eat anything last night.”

Rose nodded and started digging into the fry up that her mum had cooked. It was greasy and had gone a little cold but she had second helpings of everything because she was ravenous. She also felt tremendously better after talking to her mum.

She had just finished off her last piece of toast when she heard the flat door open. She abandoned the tea she had raised to her lips and ran to greet the Doctor. She caught him just as he was closing the door behind him and he only had time to say hello to her before she had glued her lips to his.

He kissed her back almost immediately, his back hitting the closed door when Rose chased after his tongue relentlessly, sucking it into her mouth with practised ease. His hands flailed around a little before grabbing her waist and pulling her tighter against him. 

Rose pulled away with a gasp, beaming widely at him. “Morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” he said, a bit breathlessly which filled her with pride. “Any reason for such a lovely welcome?” he asked, his hands drifting to her bottom.

“I love you,” she said, placing her hands on his chest, one on each heart. “And I have had time to think about what we talked about last night.” When he opened his mouth to interrupt, she placed a hand on his mouth, stopping him. “I won’t lie and say I am ready. But I know that as long as I have you, I don’t have to be so afraid, yeah? You just have to be patient with me.”

His eyes were warm as he nodded. “Of course,” he said, once Rose removed her hand from his mouth. “Anything you want, my love,” he murmured in her ear, using the rare term of endearment he hardly ever spoke out of the bedroom. 

“Oi, you two! Gonna stand in the hallway all day, are you?” came Jackie’s voice and it was a good thing too, because Rose was about to drag him into her bedroom and not leave for a few hours at least.

They pulled away reluctantly and went into the kitchen where Jackie was waiting for them with a cross look on her face. “Don’t you think I don’t know what you were doing,” she said, narrowing her eyes at the Doctor. “Not under my roof, you hear me?”

“Good morning, Jackie,” said the Doctor as he sat at the table, smiling when Rose immediately situated herself on his lap, despite her mother’s glare. “Your rules under your roof,” he nodded with a bright grin at Jackie as Rose fed him some toast.

Jackie rolled her eyes at the pair of them. “I’m off to lecture Bev about her taste in men and then to the market. You gonna be here for lunch then?” she asked.

“We’ll get some chips,” said Rose. “We’re talking to Bobby and looking into this kids disappearing thing.”

“Well don’t be getting into too much trouble, you hear?” said Jackie as she went to grab her purse and shoes. “Take your keys and be back for dinner, will you?”

“Will do, mum,” said Rose. “See you.”

Jackie waved and left the flat with a cheery goodbye. Rose turned back to the Doctor who had a mouthful of tea that he swallowed before he kissed her slowly. 

“We have to leave the flat or we are not going to move at all,” he said when they pulled away.

Rose laughed in agreement and stood up. “I’ll go and get dressed. Meet me near the TARDIS? Nothing in my closet here fits me anymore.”

The Doctor nodded as he shovelled some eggs into his mouth. “I’ll meet you in ten minutes,” he said as Rose pulled on her leather jacket over her baggy pyjama bottoms and ratty tank top.

“Speaking of,” said Rose, slipping her feet into shoes. “Did the scans turn anything up?”

“Some odd energy signals but nothing conclusive,” he answered absently. “The TARDIS has to be reconfigured for this universe…”

“And we’re only here a week,” finished Rose with a sigh. “It’s okay, we’ll do it the old fashioned way this time.”

The Doctor shot her a look full of adoration. “Go on then, get ready. We could go and see your friend.”

“Are you sure you want to come?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” he said at once.

“Well, no offence, but dressed like you are, there is a possibility that you might get lynched where we are going,” she said, only half-joking.

Without missing a beat, he winked at her. “I’m sure you’d protect me,” he said.

Rose laughed and turned to leave. “Lock the doors after you. Mum will kill you if someone breaks in because you left the door open,” she warned him.

He nodded back at that and Rose left with a grin.

~

The Doctor was certain that Rose had been exaggerating about him getting lynched where they were going, right until the moment she led him towards Paradise Grove. The only thing that could make it be called a grove was a solitary hawthorn tree on the verge of death, and absolutely nothing to say it was a paradise.

The concrete road was slimy and the stench was so bad that the Doctor was holding his breath more often than not. Despite the daylight, it felt oddly dark, and the various people looking at them through cautious, hooded eyes as they passed did not help. 

While the Doctor kept an eye around them as if expecting to be jumped any minute, Rose seemed relatively at ease. She even nodded at a few people they passed, who smiled tentatively at her and then immediately looked at him like he was mad. When they finally did get to Paradise Grove, Rose greeted the young man sitting near the stairs with a wide smile.

“Alright, Chas?” she asked.

“Rose Tyler, look at you,” said Chas, tossing his cigarette away and standing up to greet her. “Haven’t seen you around for a while.”

“Been off travelling,” said Rose, inclining her head towards the Doctor.

Chas looked at the Doctor and did a double take. “Where’d you find this one then, Rose?” he asked, looking him up and down. “19th century?”

“Outer space, actually,” said Rose with a wink, making Chas laugh. “Is Bobby around? I wanted to see him.”

“Yeah, he’s up in his flat,” answered Chas, though he still kept darting looks at the Doctor, as if he couldn’t believe he was real. “Is that real silver, mate?” he asked, looking at the chain holding the pocket watch to the Doctor’s waistcoat.

“Yes,” answered the Doctor. 

“I’d be careful with it if I were you,” said Chas. “Not everyone here is as nice or sober as I am.”

“He’s got me to protect him, don’t worry,” grinned Rose.

Chas smiled a little. “Don’t doubt that,” he nodded. “Why’d you wanna see Bobby then? He’s not exactly making much sense these days.”

“Yeah, I heard,” said Rose. “What’d you make of it?”

“Think he might have moved on from meth,” shrugged Chas. “Got to be some heavy stuff if he’s been talking about aliens and locking himself in his flat like a loony.”

The Doctor glanced at Rose, whose smile had become a bit fixed. “Thanks for the warning,” she said, pleasantly enough. “I’ll see you around, Chas.”

“Sure thing,” nodded Chas. “See you around, mate,” he said to the Doctor.

“Likewise,” he said and then followed Rose up the stairs. “Old friend?” he inquired when they had reached the third floor.

“He was Jimmy’s mate more than mine,” said Rose, avoiding his gaze as they climbed. “Always nice to me though. Nicer than Jimmy anyway.”

The Doctor frowned but didn’t press as Rose led him towards the hallway on the fourth floor. There were three flats on either side of them, and the Doctor could hear the same football match from the three adjacent flats on their right, but two of the flats on their left had broken doors and smelled alarmingly of dead rodents. Rose knocked on the only other door that was left.

There was no answer after she had knocked but a small shadow had fallen over the peephole in the door before disappearing. It seemed as if Bobby had seen who it was and then decided not to answer. Rose seemed to have come to the same conclusion, so she knocked again.

“Bobby, it’s Rose Tyler,” she said. “Open up, will you? I just wanna talk.”

There was silence before the door opened just a crack. “Who’s the other one?” asked the hoarse voice which the Doctor presumed belonged to Bobby Renford.

“He’s my friend,” said Rose.

“Why’s he dressed like a nutter then?” asked Bobby.

“I am not from around here,” said the Doctor.

“That is obvious,” said Bobby and inched the door open enough so that he could poke his face out.

The Doctor realised quickly that he had been taking methamphetamine, judging from his dilated pupils, tremors and excessive sweating. Despite him being around the same age as Rose, he looked years older due to his unhealthy pallor. He glanced at Rose who looked unfazed at Bobby’s appearance.

“Can we come in?” she asked.

“Why?” asked Bobby suspiciously.

“We wanna ask if you know anything about those kids disappearing,” said Rose.

“Are you here to make fun of me?” he asked.

“No, I am not, Bobby,” said Rose calmly. “Look, I just wanna know what you know, ‘kay?”

“You won’t believe me,” said Bobby.

“Try us,” said Rose. “Please.”

Bobby slammed the door shut, but then they heard him opening the chain latch so that the door could open fully. Rose smiled at him gratefully as they entered the small flat. “I don’t have any tea to offer, sorry,” said Bobby as he cleared some papers off the small, stuffed sofa.

“That’s alright,” said Rose as she and the Doctor sat down. “We had breakfast just before we came here.”

Bobby nodded and sat himself down cross-legged on the coffee table. “What do you wanna know?”

“Anything you wanna to tell us,” said Rose.

Bobby looked a little unsure but then nodded. “I know people say that I am a nutter for saying it and all, but I am telling you, those kids that come back are not the kids that go missing,” he said.

“What makes you say that?” asked Rose, exchanging a look with the Doctor.

“See that window over there,” he said, pointing to the small window that he had covered up with silver foil. “It looks over the alleyway behind Mrs. Davis’ bakery. All the kiddies that went missing were last seen over there.”

“You saw them being taken?” asked Rose, leaning forward in interest.

Bobby nodded vigorously, emboldened by the fact that they appeared to be believing him. “I see them walk into the alley, and then there’s a twin who looks exactly like them. The two of them just disappear then, and the kids come back the next day. But I saw the ones who come back, Rose, and they are those weird twins with their blank faces. It’s got to be aliens, I know it has.”

“Do you see anybody else?” asked the Doctor.

Bobby shook his head. “It’s just them,” he said. “But the air goes funny when they disappear and reappear.”

“Could be a transmat spot,” said Rose, turning to the Doctor who nodded absently.

“You believe me then,” said Bobby, looking at Rose with wide eyes. “You really, properly believe me?”

“Yeah, I do,” said Rose. “We’ll look into it, Bobby, don’t worry.”

~

“This is the place?” asked the Doctor, wrinkling his nose at the overpowering stench of the alley.

Rose nodded as she looked around. “Can’t believe they are disappearing from here of all places,” she murmured. “Mum used to get mad when I cut through here on my way from school instead of walking around the playground.”

“Rebellious streak, I like it,” he winked at her. “Hold on, here’s something.” He held up a bright pink headband. “Do you think it belongs to the missing girl?”

“Jocelyn? No way,” said Rose, at once. “Girl’s a ginger. I don’t think I’ve ever met a redhead who enjoys wearing pink voluntarily.”

“It’s got some sort of a residue on it,” said the Doctor, digging into his pockets and pulling out a pair of half moon glasses with a golden rim. He perched the glasses on his nose and examined the headband acutely. “It looks familiar,” he said and looked up only to see Rose gaping at him. “What?”

“You’re wearing glasses,” said Rose, still staring at him.

His brow furrowed as he took them off and looked at them speculatively. “Yes, I found them last night when I was cleaning out one of the TARDIS store rooms. I wore them in my fifth life. Thought my eyes could use a little help,” he said brightly before his smile faltered. “Don’t you like them?”

Rose blushed bright red and nodded quickly. “They’re fine, yeah,” she stammered. “You should definitely keep them.” He smirked at her and Rose rolled her eyes. “Shut up,” she said fondly. “Tell us about the residue.”

The Doctor laughed heartily and held up the pink headband so that Rose could see the silver splotches on them. “We can analyse this back in the TARDIS,” he said.

“What about the transmat spot?” asked Rose.

“Well, I can’t find anything here to suggest that there might be a transmat spot around here,” said the Doctor.

“Yeah, you might be right,” said Rose, as she kicked a stray can at the far end of the valley. It clinked its way past, before vanishing abruptly. “Did you see that?” she asked, surprised.

“I did,” said the Doctor as he and Rose moved towards the wall cautiously. The Doctor picked up another one of those cans and threw it at the wall. Like the one before, the can simply vanished once it touched the wall. 

Rose looked at the Doctor with wide eyes. “Magic door?” she asked.

He grinned at her and offered his hand. “Let’s find out.”


	4. Home: Where the Heart Is

The magic door as Rose had called it, was actually a door hidden with a perception filter leading onto a spaceship. The Doctor explained this when they both walked through the wall and emerged onto the control deck of a star cruiser.

The deck appeared to be empty, with only the various machines running scans in the background. The place was in semi-darkness and the Doctor got a thoughtful look on his face as he examined the technology curiously. They had only taken a few steps when a hologram popped up in front of them.

“Halt! State your name, rank and intention.”

“Is that...that’s Fitz,” said Rose, surprised.

“No, it’s only a hologram,” said the Doctor. “It must have scanned us and picked a face we’d recognise.”

“State your name, rank and intention,” intoned the Fitz-hologram again.

“Uh, yes, yes, I am the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler,” said the Doctor. “We are civilians and we are investigating some missing children in the area.”

The hologram was silent for a moment before it solidified to look almost human. If it hadn’t been for the disconcertingly blank look on his face, they might as well have thought that the real Fitz had somehow materialised in front of them.

“Follow me,” said the Fitz-clone, turning around and leading the way.

The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look and followed after him. “Do you recognise the technology?” asked Rose in a low murmur.

“Yes, I do, as a matter of fact,” whispered the Doctor before raising his voice. “What I don’t understand is why the Jeskalonians have come to Earth of all places.”

The Fitz-clone stopped and turned around to look at him. “You know of us?” he asked.

“Yes, but I have never seen your lot so far from home,” said the Doctor. “What happened?”

“Who are they?” asked Rose curiously.

“The Jeskalonians are a brood parasite,” said the Doctor. 

“Like the cuckoo bird?” asked Rose, remembering the term vaguely.

“Yes, exactly like the cuckoo bird,” said the Doctor with a grin. “However, unlike the brood parasites of Earth, the Jeskalonians have more of a symbiotic relationship with their host. They adopt alien children and replace them with their own until the children are a certain age. A bit like intergalactic culture exchange. Very popular with some species.”

“I doubt human beings count as one of those,” said Rose. 

“We have not harmed the Earth children,” said the Fitz-clone, managing to sound indignant even in his monotonous voice. He activated a dial which turned on the screen in front of them.

The Doctor and Rose raised their eyebrows when they saw the five children who had gone missing, enjoying what appeared to be a competitive video game. There were occasional cheers coupled with shouts of frustrations, but there was no doubt that they weren’t in any danger.

“I know you wouldn’t harm them,” said the Doctor, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look at the Fitz-clone. “What Rose meant was that human beings as a species are very protective of their young. If they realise this little exchange has taken place, I cannot guarantee the safety of the Jeskalonian children.”

“They won’t kill the children,” snapped Rose, glaring at the Doctor.

“No, but if a human medical professional was to look too closely…” said the Doctor gently.

Rose nodded, though she still looked a little put out. She turned to the Fitz-clone who had got a thoughtful look on his face. “Look, you have to return those kids back to their parents and take your children back. For all their sakes,” she said.

“The project will then be a failure,” said the Fitz-clone.

“What I still don’t understand is why you came to Earth of all places,” said the Doctor, shaking his head. “There are plenty of planets near yours where exchanging offspring is a common tradition.”

“It was decreed that our scope had to be extended. Envoys have been dispatched all over the galaxy in order to conduct experiments on a trial basis,” said the Fitz-clone.

“So, this was just an experiment then?” asked Rose.

“One that has now failed,” the Fitz-clone sounded dejected.

“Don’t be so down on yourself,” said the Doctor, encouragingly. “Look, what’s your name? Your real name, not this hologram.”

“Lambda Regent 11010001,” he answered gloomily.

“Lambda, may I call you, Lambda?” asked the Doctor, and waited until he nodded. “Well, Lambda, one failed sample does not mean the whole experiment was wrong. Yours is a powerful metamorph species, with one of the kindest natures I have ever encountered. The perfect combination of organic and cyber technology, born on a planet ravaged by constant dust storms and earthquakes. Your technology surpasses anything else in this galaxy and your compassion has only made you stronger. So don’t be disheartened, Lambda. Embrace your failure and move onto to the next sample. Preferably a planet with more tolerant tendencies towards exchanging offspring.”

Lambda nodded slowly, starting to look less depressed. Rose smiled fondly at the Doctor, delighted that his words had made Lambda feel better. “There is a procedure to reverse teleport the exchanged offspring,” said Lambda finally. “An additional safeguard is in place to wipe the memories of the children, if required.”

The Doctor smiled. “Tell you what, Lambda, skip the memory wipe. Let the children have those memories. They will fade with the years, but they might just remember them on an odd night when they gaze at the stars and wonder if there really is life beyond what they know,” he said.

Lambda nodded. “Very well,” he said. “Initiating exit strategy 1000110010011110.”

Rose watched with wide eyes as golden particles whirled around the children, almost obscuring them into the shining haze before clearing slowly. The children were still there but Rose could tell that they were no longer the human children but the Jeskalonians despite their outward appearances. She glanced at the Doctor who beamed at Lambda.

“Wonderful, Lambda,” said the Doctor. “Thank you.”

Lambda’s outward appearance of Fitz slowly morphed into a magnificent silver, translucent shadow in the shape of a tripedal organism the size of a large jungle cat. “Thank you, Doctor, Rose Tyler,” said Lambda, his voice sounding a tiny bit more mechanical than before.

“Oh, you are beautiful,” said the Doctor. “Well, Rose and I will be on our way then. Have a safe journey, Lambda. I wish you the best in your future experiments.”

Lambda nodded gratefully. “Your good wishes are noted. The Jeskalonian council will always be grateful,” he said.

“See ya,” said Rose brightly as she and the Doctor went back the way they had come from and stepped through the wall to find themselves in the alley. “Will we see them leaving?” she asked the Doctor.

“Shh, just watch,” said the Doctor, pointing to the wall which was shimmering just slightly. The shimmer became more pronounced and then died down, leaving the wall looking just like before. The Doctor nodded at Rose and she touched the wall experimentally, gasping a little when she felt the solid cold bricks under her hand and nothing else. “They’re gone,” said the Doctor, grinning at her.

“Shame, I liked them,” said Rose as the two of them started to walk back to Jackie’s flat. “You know, apart from the abducting children thing.”

“They’re just one of the many delights of this universe,” he said. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“What?” asked Rose curiously.

“How many such delights exist,” he grinned.

“Aren’t you supposed to know that?” teased Rose as they climbed the stairs of Bucknall House. “Being the all-knowing ancient Time Lord that you are.”

“Ancient? Ancient?” he asked, looking outraged. “Why, you cheeky…”

Rose giggled and took off up the stairs, the Doctor close on her heels. His stride was longer than hers and with him taking two steps at a time, he had caught up to her in no time. He snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her up against him, her back against his front. Rose fumbled with the keys to open the door to the flat and the Doctor carried her inside the minute the door opened.

The keys clinked as they missed the bowl where Rose threw them but neither of them paid it any attention. Jackie still wasn’t home, and Rose wriggled out of his grip briefly so she could grab his arm and pull him into her room. He went willingly, eyes gleaming darkly as he shut the door behind him firmly and locked it. Rose had dropped her jacket and was beckoning him with a grin but before the Doctor could make good on his promise, they heard Jackie calling their names outside.

Rose started laughing at the petulant look on the Doctor’s face as she walked past him to open the door. “Hi mum,” she greeted.

“Why was the bleedin’ door open?” demanded Jackie, hands on her hips.

“Sorry, we were just in a bit of a hurry,” said Rose, stepping out of the room after shooting the Doctor an apologetic look who waved her apology away. He was aware that Rose could very well have only this week with her mother and he would not begrudge her a moment longer of that.

Jackie’s eyes narrowed when the Doctor walked out after Rose, but she refrained from commenting. “You won’t believe what Bev told me,” she said, looking at Rose. “It’s about the Taylor girl. Carol or Carrie, her name. Never can remember which one.”

“What about her?” asked Rose curiously, remembering Carrie Taylor being one of the children that the Jeskalonians had taken in.

“Bev said she was on the playground before she started glowing all golden like and then just like that she was fine,” said Jackie. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with you two, would it?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at the pair of them.

The Doctor gave her his most innocent look. “Of course not, Jackie,” he said brightly. “We had absolutely nothing to do with that.”

~

Later that night, long after the Doctor had gone back to the TARDIS, Rose and Jackie sat on the sofa in the living room, drinking wine. 

“And you don’t know when you can come back again?” asked Jackie.

Rose shook her head sadly. “They can’t be sure when it will go away. If it will even happen in my lifetime,” she said.

Jackie’s eyes filled with tears. “Can’t your Doctor do anything? Cure it or something?” she asked, a note of desperation in her voice.

Rose set her wineglass aside and took her mum’s hand. “He’s doing everything he can, mum,” she said earnestly. “Honestly, if there was a way he would have done it by now.”

“You’re my little girl, Rose,” said Jackie tearfully. “Am I just supposed to say goodbye to you in five days and not know if I will ever see you again?” Rose blinked back tears and didn’t answer. Jackie began to sob and Rose knew there was nothing else she could do but hug her mother and tell her she would be alright. 

“I won’t even be able to see you get married,” said Jackie, through her tears.

Rose didn’t feel like pointing out that she and the Doctor would perhaps never get married in the way her mother would want them to. She just patted her mum’s back soothingly. 

Jackie pulled away and wiped her tears clumsily before looking at Rose sharply. “I know what you are thinking, Rose Marion Tyler,” she said. “But mark my words when I say that you will have a proper wedding. For your sake, if not anybody else’s.”

“Alright, mum,” said Rose as sincerely as she could, not wanting to press the issue.

Jackie searched her eyes for a moment. “Stay here,” she said and stood up. “I’ve got something for you.”

Rose’s brow furrowed as her mum walked into her bedroom and emerged with her handbag. She set it down on the coffee table and rummaged through it briefly. “Got this when I went out today,” said Jackie. “Been sitting in the deposit box for ages.” She held up the object in question and Rose’s eyes went wide.

“That’s Nan’s, isn’t it?” she asked, staring at the wedding band that Jackie was holding.

“Yeah,” said Jackie, smiling at it fondly. “I know it isn’t flashy…”

“It’s beautiful,” said Rose, admiring the rows of tiny diamonds and sapphires entwined in a vine to form a delicate wedding band. The stones were miniscule and it was only silver that held them but Rose remembered how much her Nan had treasured it.

“Take it,” said Jackie. “Mum wanted you to have it anyway. There’s a matching men’s band too. It belonged to Granddad Prentice.”

Rose looked at the other band which was just plain silver, and then back at her Nan’s. “I can’t take them,” said Rose. “They should have been yours and Dad’s.”

“Pete’s family had their own set of rings to give us,” said Jackie, gazing fondly at her own wedding ring that she had never taken off even after all these years. “Take them, and wear them as a way to remember us.”

Rose took the two rings from her mum and hugged her tightly. “Thank you,” she said.

Jackie patted her back and held her just as tightly. “Promise me, Rose,” she said, her voice shaking as she started crying. “Promise me that you will be happy.”

Rose nodded and buried her head in her mum’s neck. “I promise,” she said. “Even if I never see you again, I promise you I will do my best to be happy.”


	5. The Labyrinth: Splintered Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some adult content in this chapter, though nothing explicit.

The TARDIS rotor moved up and down seamlessly, and the usual thrum of the vortex accompanied the ship’s own low hum. The Doctor kept an eye on the readings, throwing frequent looks at Rose who had barely spoken two words after they had said goodbye to Jackie.

The rest of the week on Powell Estate had not been as eventful as the first two days, and the Doctor had mostly spent his time cleaning out the storerooms in the TARDIS while Rose and her mother had indulged in shopping, family dinners and Estate gossip on Jackie’s part. The Doctor had stayed well out of way, letting Rose enjoy her time with Jackie, though he did join them for breakfast practically every morning. 

Jackie had held him back the morning before, when Rose had gone in to take a shower. “Well?” she had asked him sharply.

“Well, what, Jackie?” he asked, wondering if he had said something unseemly during breakfast. Rose had been rather distracting, tracing circles on his thigh under the table and he hadn’t exactly been paying attention.

“Don’t play coy with me, you hear?” she snapped. “I don’t know if I will ever see my daughter after tomorrow and I need to know that she will always be looked after.”

“Of course, Jackie,” he said sincerely. “Rose means more to me than anything, I assure you.”

“You’d better mean that,” said Jackie, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I do,” he nodded.

Jackie nodded back, appearing to have believed him. “Are you gonna marry her then?” she asked bluntly.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. “Jackie, Rose and I haven’t discussed…”

“I am not asking what you two have discussed,” she interrupted. “I am asking about you. Are you going to marry her?”

He met her sharp gaze and nodded slowly. “If she wants to, yes,” he said honestly.

Jackie was silent for a while and the Doctor was considering running back to the TARDIS when she spoke again. “Just look after her, okay?” she said, looking tearful.

“I will, I promise, Jackie,” said the Doctor sincerely. He remembered something else, and he cleared his throat lightly. “If I were to marry Rose, I would need permission from her parents as per the tradition of my people.”

Jackie choked back a sob and nodded. “You have my permission for what it’s worth,” she said.

He took a deep breath. “Officially, the words would be ‘I consent and gladly give’,” he said gently.

Jackie wiped her tears away. “I consent and gladly give,” she repeated. “Yeah?”

“Thank you, Jackie,” he said sincerely.

He knew that the traditions were no longer adhered to on Gallifrey, but considering that he and Rose were breaking the rules as it is by initiating a bonding, he supposed that they might as well do it properly. He had no idea what the Time Lords would think of him and Rose bonding but he decided that he didn’t care. If they didn’t like it, well, it wasn’t like he and Rose were planning on going to Gallifrey unless they were absolutely required to.

A light beep from the console drew his attention back to the present and he spoke softly. “Hold on tightly, we are about to cross back,” he said.

Rose didn’t reply but he saw her standing from her chair and holding onto the metal scaffolding around the console tightly. The TARDIS shook lightly and the ride back to their parallel universe was considerably shakier than before. The shaking continued for quite a while before the scanners lit up, indicating that they had successfully crossed into the parallel universe.

“Anything from Fitz?” asked Rose, breaking the silence.

The Doctor checked the TARDIS systems and shook his head. “He might not want to return, Rose,” he said gently. He was used to people leaving him and never wanting to come back, and a part of him was expecting Fitz to do the same, but he knew that Rose had been fully expecting him to return.

“He wouldn’t do that,” said Rose stubbornly before sighing loudly. “Suppose it’s possible though, isn’t it?” she asked in a tired voice.

The Doctor pushed away from the console and enfolded her in his arms. “Possible does not mean probable, Rose,” he said comfortingly. “He will call when he is ready. And if he never is, then all we can hope for is that he will remember us with fondness.”

Rose nodded and buried her face in the Doctor’s neck. “Thank you,” she said.

His brow furrowed and he pulled away a little to look her in the eye. “Why are you thanking me?” he asked.

“I know it wasn’t easy for you to be planted on Earth for the full week, not to mention facing mum,” said Rose. “Guess I’m just grateful you stayed, is all.”

“There is nowhere else I would have wanted to be,” he said sincerely before his gaze turned mischievous. “Well, almost nowhere else. I would have preferred to have you to myself in the TARDIS, though I suppose we could do that now since there’s nothing to stop us.”

Rose giggled as he hoisted her up in his arms and carried her down the corridor to their room. She wrapped an arm around his neck and used her other hand to untie his cravat. The piece of silk fluttered to the floor somewhere in the corridor, but it went largely unnoticed once the Doctor moved his head down to glue their lips together. Rose had never been more grateful for his excellent sense of direction, at least inside the TARDIS, because she knew that they would never have made it into their room without it.

As it was, they got there without any incident and Rose grinned when he sat her down on the edge of the bed without breaking their kiss. His hands trailed up her body to loosen her ponytail. The hair that had been close to reaching down to her waist was now resting near the middle of her back, after her mother had been over it with her clippers. Rose revelled in the gentle touch of the Doctor’s fingers as he combed them through the golden strands. Having had enough of the distance between them, Rose grabbed the front of his waistcoat and pulled him on top of her as she fell back on the bed.

The action startled the Doctor enough to break the kiss, and he chuckled in delight when Rose wriggled back on the bed to rest her head on the pillows, keeping a firm grip on him to pull him along. Clothes were shed between giggles and kisses, and as they made love after more than a week, they could both feel the urge to press their fingers against the other’s temple and delve into each other’s mind. Fortunately, the Doctor had some semblance of control left and he linked their hands together and held them down on the pillows on either side of Rose’s head to avoid the temptation. 

The TARDIS floated along in the vortex but the Doctor and Rose had already lost themselves in each other’s embrace.

~

When Rose awoke, she realised that it was because it was cold. Shivering lightly, she reached for the Doctor but met the empty side of the bed. Her eyes opened and she sat up in bed, groaning when her back cracked. She reached for her dressing gown and pulled it on before leaving the bed to go in search of the Doctor. The corridor outside was lit mutely and the floor felt a little too cool to Rose. As the sleepy fog lifted from her brain, Rose realised that it really was quite cold in the TARDIS. She quickened her steps but saw that their bedroom was no longer close to the console room and the TARDIS had moved things around again.

There was only one corridor in front of her and Rose followed it, trying not to shiver when it seemed to get colder and darker as she went on. She thought to call for the Doctor when she rounded the corner but nearly jumped in shock when she saw something translucent glowing down the corridor. She walked towards it slowly, and the figure straightened up as she got close to it.

It was the Doctor, looking pale and ghostly, with a deep stab wound in his abdomen that had stained his white shirt crimson. He had his mouth open in a silent scream and one of his hands was reaching for her while the other was held over the wound. 

“DOCTOR!” shouted Rose and ran towards him. His image seemed to flicker but Rose didn’t notice it in her concern. She was nearly up to him when the dim lights in the TARDIS extinguished completely before reappearing brightly like usual. Rose stumbled to a stop as she realised that she was all alone in the corridor again and it was no longer unnaturally cold or dark. 

She heard footsteps coming towards her and she breathed in relief when she saw the Doctor, uninjured and solid, running over to her in concern. “Rose, are you alright?” he asked, cupping her face and gazing at her in worry. “Did you have a nightmare?” Rose hugged him tightly, trying to calm her breathing. “You are frozen to the bone, darling. Come on, let me take you back to bed.”

Rose let him carry her back to bed, trying her hardest to shake off the image of him she’d seen. The Doctor deposited her into the bed and pulled the duvet over her legs and propped up some pillows behind her. “Rose?” he asked, his eyes melting in concern.

“It wasn’t a nightmare,” said Rose slowly, once she started to relax. “It was cold when I woke up and the TARDIS led me down this corridor where it was all weird. And I saw…” she trailed off as a shiver shot up her spine.

“What did you see?” asked the Doctor gently.

“You,” said Rose. “But you were all transparent, like a ghost, and you were hurt.” She ran a hand over his uninjured abdomen as if to reassure herself that he was fine. 

The Doctor watched the action in concern, and kissed her forehead softly. “Sounds like a nightmare to me,” he said. “Though we could have jumped time tracks in the vortex.”

Rose looked at him in alarm. “Do you think I caught a glimpse of some timeline that is about to happen?” she asked.

“Possibly, but considering there are about a million possibilities existing around us at all times, I would think that it was unlikely,” he said, smiling at her. “Besides, I happen to quite like this body of mine and I am in no hurry to change it just yet.” Rose smiled back reluctantly and the Doctor beamed at her before he kissed her soundly. “Now,” he said, pulling away. “Breakfast’s getting cold.”

Rose’s brow furrowed when she saw him reach over to the side table where he had placed the breakfast tray. She guessed that he must have brought it to surprise her with breakfast in bed and then gone looking for her when he hadn’t found her. She smiled at him as he placed the small fold table between them and the tray on top of it. There was fresh tea, crepes with cut up fruit and a bowl of fresh berries and cream. 

They fed each other as they talked and Rose had all but forgotten the grisly image by the time they had finished their breakfast. The Doctor had bounded to the bathroom halfway through, calling that he was going to draw a bath, since Rose was still a touch too cool for his comfort. Rose smiled fondly as she finished her tea and kissed him gratefully upon his return. He had shooed her off to the bathroom, promising to join her after he had cleared up the breakfast things.

As soon as Rose had left with a promising wink, the Doctor drew out his sonic screwdriver and did a quick scan, just to make sure that nothing was wrong. The scan did not turn up anything suspicious and so he dismissed the matter and decided to join Rose in the bath.

She was lying back in the bath with her eyes closed, a content smile playing on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open when she heard him and with a bright smile, she scooted forward so that he could sink into the bath behind her.

“Alright?” she asked, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder.

He kissed her temple and nodded, running his hands over her thighs under the water. “I think we should stay in for the day,” he murmured, letting his lips drift up and down her neck. “What do you reckon?”

“No complaints from me,” said Rose, gasping when he nibbled on her earlobe. “Maybe tomorrow we can go bungee jumping on Phobos like you promised before.”

“Whatever you like,” he said, letting his hands drift to her inner thighs while his mouth stayed busy with her neck and shoulders. “Although, for now…”

A loud crash interrupted whatever the Doctor was about to say and the two of them jumped in shock. “What was that?” asked Rose, feeling her heart go cold as the image of the Doctor from before slammed back into her mind with force.

The Doctor was looking tense as well. “I don’t know,” he said. “I should go and check.”

“I’ll come too,” said Rose immediately and the Doctor did not argue as they left the bath and pulled on their bathrobes before leaving their bathroom together quickly.

The crash seemed to have come from the general direction of the library, so the two of them jogged over to it. The doors were closed but as they pushed them open, they were greeted by the sight of the giant chandelier having crashed onto the floor and broken into pieces.

“What in the hell,” muttered Rose as they walked in carefully, trying to avoid stepping into the broken crystal shards. “Isn’t this the floating chandelier? How can it have just fallen?”

“Maybe it ran out of power,” said the Doctor, though the disbelief was evident in his tone. He looked around the library as if expecting to see someone who wasn’t supposed to be there, when he heard Rose’s loud gasp.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing into the broken shards and the Doctor saw two black lumps lying side by side under the broken chandelier.

“Oh no,” he said, as he realised what they were. Rose’s sharp intake of breath told him that she had come to the same conclusion as well.

They were looking at the corpses of Jasper and Stewart.


	6. The Labyrinth: Ghosts in the Mansion

It was with a sombre air that the Doctor and Rose returned to their room to get dressed. The Doctor had gently lifted the corpses of their furry little friends and examined them carefully. The crashing chandelier hadn’t killed them, he had said in a quiet voice. They had suffocated to death.

Rose had been upset enough at the sight of them, and the news that Jasper and Stewart had died such a horrible death had made her quite distraught. The Doctor wasn’t any better, in fact, he was furious. Something had got past his TARDIS’s defences and killed the little occupants who had made the TARDIS their home. 

“Do you think this has something to do with what I saw before?” asked Rose in a quiet voice as she tied her boots.

“Perhaps,” said the Doctor stiffly, knotting his cravat messily. A loud gong echoed through the TARDIS and the two of them exchanged a quick look. “The Cloister Bell. Come on.”

Rose bounded after him, unwilling to lose sight of him. The image of him bleeding kept flashing before her eyes every time she even looked at him, and there was no way she was going to let that happen. The Doctor came to a stop just outside the Cloister Room and Rose brushed back memories of the Doctor getting amnesia in this very place all that time ago. Exchanging a look, the Doctor and Rose crossed the threshold and stepped into the Cloister Room that held the Eye of Harmony.

Unlike the last time, however, there was no glint in the Eye of Harmony. Instead, there was a sickly green smoke surrounding it, that made them both stop short.

“What is that?” asked Rose finally, feeling unnerved at the unnatural smoke.

“I have absolutely no idea,” said the Doctor, without any trace of the excitement that was usually laced through those words. He looked grim, his eyes still flashing in anger. 

“Is the TARDIS sick?” asked Rose.

“No, she’s functioning perfectly,” said the Doctor, his jaw clenching in anger. “Whatever the interference is, it’s coming from outside.”

“But aren’t we in the vortex?” asked Rose as the Doctor spun around and started for the console room.

He didn’t answer for a moment and when he spoke, he sounded like he was barely stopping himself from snarling in anger. “I think someone has been interfering with the TARDIS for a while now,” he said.

“What?” asked Rose, shocked.

“The way we got into Arthur’s world, and then back into your universe without a hitch, and the way our return is affecting the TARDIS, none of it is natural and it certainly isn’t supposed to happen,” he said.

“But only the Time Lords can remotely control the TARDIS, can’t they?” asked Rose as they reached the console room.

“Yes, and I mean to call them and ask precisely what they think they’re doing,” the Doctor was shouting by the end. He moved towards the console and roughly pulled a few switches, and Rose tried not to wince at the anger in his movements. She knew how much he hated anyone touching the TARDIS, and this went well beyond even the Time Lords’ usual interference.

A frustrated growl brought her attention back to him, and Rose grasped his hand comfortingly, stroking her thumb over it to calm him down. It worked, but only a little. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

“The controls are jammed,” he said. “I can’t operate them.”

Rose’s brow furrowed. “The scanners are working though,” she said, pointing to the monitors. “Is the main one working?”

The Doctor stopped glaring at the console and got a thoughtful look on his face. He pulled the main lever and the ceiling became transparent. “We are not in the vortex,” he said, looking at the sight of open space above them.

“Is it me or is that asteroid getting bigger?” asked Rose, her eyes going wide with alarm.

The Doctor dropped her hand and tried to get them to change course but with the controls jammed, the TARDIS would not move from her set trajectory. They were about to crash into the asteroid, and the rate with which the asteroid was getting closer was not encouraging of a smooth landing. 

“This isn’t going to work, we need a sturdy hold,” said Rose when the Doctor continued to pull at the controls.

At her words, he abandoned his work and grabbed her hand to pull her towards the closest supply closet. It was full of rather heavy carpets and the two of them took refuge inside it, grateful for the extra padding when the TARDIS crashed spectacularly on the asteroid. The Doctor, who had tucked Rose’s head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her to keep her safe, was the first to move. 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Rose nodded as they both straightened up. “Yeah, you?”

“Nothing broken or bruised at least,” he said and opened the closet door. 

The console room was in semi-darkness with all but two light sources completely extinguished. The console itself was smoking lightly, but the smoke had a distinctly green tinge to it.

“That seems familiar,” said Rose, looking at the smoke warily. “Where are we?”

The Doctor was glaring angrily at the green smoke which was getting denser and more prominent, nearly obscuring the console. “I am going to find out,” he answered, setting off towards it with purpose when the TARDIS doors sprang open suddenly.

Rose jumped at the noise and moved closer to the Doctor who was staring at the doors in disbelief. Nothing happened for a moment and then the doors seemed to break free of the TARDIS and disappear completely. A creaking sound was heard right as parts of the TARDIS started breaking apart, seemingly vanishing into the green smoke.

“We have to move,” said Rose, grabbing the Doctor’s hand who seemed to be frozen in shock.

He was too stunned to react but he followed Rose when she led him out of the TARDIS through the gaping hole where the doors used to be. They emerged out into a forest, but rather than take in their surroundings, they turned around to look at the TARDIS which was all but engulfed with the green smoke. They watched in disbelief as the smoke gradually thinned and then vanished completely leaving no trace of the TARDIS behind.

The Doctor shook off Rose’s hand and walked over to where the TARDIS had left marks in the dirt. He extended his hand cautiously, as if expecting to touch the TARDIS, or rather hoping to, but his hand met nothing but empty air. His fist clenched and he turned away with a dark look on his face. 

“We should have stayed inside,” he said.

Rose gaped at him. “Are you mad? That smoke, whatever it was, would have taken us too,” she said.

“We don’t know if it would have harmed us,” he snapped angrily.

“Do you really think that anything that makes the TARDIS break apart like that can be good for us?” demanded Rose, feeling her temper brewing. “This way we at least have a chance to find out what’s going on.”

He gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything. Rose decided to ignore him in favour of looking at their surroundings. The air was slightly chilly and smelled like the pine forest that they were in. The ground under their feet was muddy but not overly so. Evening or something that looked like evening had fallen over the place and it appeared as if it would get darker. Rose walked around the clearing once, looking for any clear paths that might lead outside when she saw what could possibly be lights.

“This way, come on,” she said, setting off on her way without waiting to see if the Doctor followed.

The sound of his footsteps behind her told her that he was indeed following her, though if she had to guess his mood, the slight stomping of his feet as he walked would tell her that he was still angry. Normally, she would be at least attempting to coax him out of the bad mood he was in, but she was irritated herself and she feared that she would snap at him if she spoke at this moment. Sometimes silence was better than hurtful words that neither of them meant being hurled at each other.

The Doctor, for his part, knew he was behaving rather unfairly but he was far too worried about the TARDIS to think of anything else at the moment. He did regret snapping at Rose, who had made a sound decision while he had frozen up like a novice. With a sigh, he caught up to her and took her hand as they continued to walk. She didn’t pull away, as he had half-expected her to, and he was content in the knowledge that despite there being no forgiveness on her face, she didn’t look as angry either.

They had walked in silence for more than half an hour when the trees finally cleared and they found the source of the light. It was a brightly-lit Georgian mansion and as the Doctor and Rose got closer to it, they realised that there were several people in extravagant clothing milling towards the mansion. The curious thing was that they appeared translucent, rather like ghosts and none of them seemed to notice the Doctor and Rose in their midst.

“Are they ghosts?” asked Rose, breaking the silence in her astonishment.

“Yes,” answered the Doctor. “We are not on Earth, that much is certain.”

Rose nodded, having guessed that already. Despite the Georgian mansion, nothing about the clothing seemed to indicate that they were from Earth. Everything from the draping to the fabrics and hairstyles spoke of a civilisation similar to Earth, but not the same. “How could we have gone beyond the Earth?” she asked quizzically.

“The same way we are being moved through universes, I expect,” he said and then turned around sharply. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

“Hear what?” asked Rose. All she could hear where the hushed whispers of the ghostly people.

“The TARDIS,” he said, looking at her like she had gone mad. “I heard the TARDIS.”

“You mean telepathically?” she asked, confused.

“No, I don’t mean telepathically,” he snapped, dropping her hand and jogging to where he had heard the sound from. 

Rose raised her eyebrows and followed him. “The dematerialisation sound? Are you sure?” she asked.

“Of course I am sure,” he said, though he did not look as positive.

Rose pursed her lips but decided not to push further. “Come on, let’s head back,” she said, taking his hand. 

“Back where?” he asked, though he allowed himself to be led away. “Back to ghostland?”

“Ghostland or not, they’re the only signs of life we have seen so far,” said Rose, realising the irony of her sentence but deciding not to dwell on it. “So, tell me, how do you think these ghosts exist? I thought there were no such things…”

“Not in the known universe,” he said as they walked up to the mansion, moving past the ghosts with ease. “But I don’t know where we are or what rules govern their existence in this realm.”

“Could it be something else?” asked Rose, as they passed a woman dressed in a splendid orange and gold dress with red feathers lining her hem making her look like a phoenix. 

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like, I don’t know, they could be existing in a different dimension,” said Rose.

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, and an enormous man dressed in a lurid lime coloured suit neatly side-stepped him as if it were a subconscious movement. “It’s possible,” he said slowly. “If that’s the case, then it’s just these people existing in a different dimension,” he added, touching the closest bookcase and feeling solid wood under his hand.

“So the mansion is here, but the people aren’t,” said Rose, her eyes going wide.

The Doctor opened his mouth to correct her, presumably because it was just a theory but he heard the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising again and his head whipped around. “The TARDIS,” he said, taking off towards the rear entrance of the mansion. 

Rose followed him a moment later, still not having heard anything. She was starting to worry about him. If the TARDIS was around, how was it that only he could hear her materialising and dematerialising? She nearly bumped into his back when he stopped just shy of exiting the mansion.

“Nothing,” he said, his eyes searching the land beyond the mansion for signs of the blue box and not finding any.

“Doctor,” said Rose gently. “Let’s focus on this right now, okay?”

He stared at her for a moment before a cynical smile graced his face. “You think I am losing my mind?” he asked wryly.

Rose felt a stab of annoyance at his tone but she decided to keep her calm. “No, I don’t think you are losing your mind,” she said. “We are both on edge, Doctor, and it would be better if we were focused.”

“Focused on what?” he asked, his voice rising though no one but Rose heard it. “These ghosts that are apparently beings from a different dimension?”

Rose’s cool demeanour broke and she glared at the Doctor. “Fine, you go off chasing the sound that only you can hear,” she snapped. “I am going to see if I can do something that is more useful.”

She stalked off in anger and the Doctor glared at her back. He heard the TARDIS sound again, and his head snapped towards it. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and tried to locate the sound but the screwdriver seemed to fizzle before dying out completely. He sighed in defeat and decided that maybe Rose had been right, and he ought to stop chasing shadows and focus on the next tangible thing even though it was no better than shadows. He started to go after Rose only to see that she had vanished into the crowd. 

With a growl of frustration, he started to look for her.

Rose, on the other hand, had found herself in the main ballroom, where the orchestra was playing Strauss, of all things. _The Blue Danube_ had always been a favourite of hers, ever since she and the Doctor had danced to it one night in the library. It had been after a particularly harrowing adventure in the Himalayas, and Fitz had all but collapsed in bed. The Doctor and Rose had retired to the library but been too wired up to sleep.

The TARDIS had graciously moved the record player back into the library and they had danced the Viennese waltz with all the right steps, giggling in places but smiling softly at each other in parts. By the time the song had concluded, the tension in the air was so thick that they had ended up making love on the rug in front of the fireplace in the library. They had laughed about it the next day, teasing each other about it being far too much of a cliche.

The memory brought a wistful smile to Rose’s face as she leaned against the wall and watched the dancers glide along effortlessly to the music. It was utterly beautiful to watch, from the way their lovely dresses flared, to the smiles on their faces, and the way that even the lurid clothes seemed just at home among the colourful atmosphere of the party. The music seemed to get a little louder and the colours looked a little more pronounced, drawing Rose in even more. She wished she and the Doctor hadn’t been fighting, she would have loved to dance with him.

In her wistfulness, she didn’t notice it when someone sidled up to her and cleared their throat. Rose jumped out of habit, forgetting entirely that she was supposed to be invisible to their eye. The woman who had got her attention was looking directly at Rose and smiling gently. She was dressed in an extravagantly beaded golden gown, and had blonde hair not unlike Rose’s own.

“There you are,” she said upon seeing Rose. “You’re not even dressed.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” said Rose, smiling vaguely at the woman. A tiny part of her mind was thinking that it wasn’t the response she had planned to give but was silenced by the larger part which seemed to recognise the woman before her without trouble. “I got held up.”

“Well, no matter,” said the woman and took Rose’s arm. “Come along, I’ll help you.”

Rose nodded and gripped her arm gratefully as she followed her out of the ballroom and up the stairs. “Thank you for helping me,” she said, her voice sounding oddly soft as they nodded at the people who bowed to them as they passed. “I am very nervous about tonight.”

“That is perfectly understandable,” said the woman, leading her into a lavishly decorated bedroom. “But you know how important tonight is, don’t you?”

“I do,” said Rose, lowering her eyes. “I won’t let you down, I swear.”

“I know you will not, Arkytior,” said the Gold Guardian warmly. “I know.”


	7. The Labyrinth: Treasure Waltz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Rose's dress](http://picture-cdn.wheretoget.it/zuk8tl-i.jpg)

“Don’t you think this is a bit too much?” asked Rose, as the Gold Guardian did her hair. 

“It is the most important night of your life,” said the Gold Guardian, meeting her gaze in the mirror. “Nothing is excessive.”

Rose ran her hand over the sequins of her gold dress and nodded. “Whatever you say,” she said.

“You are almost ready,” said the Gold Guardian, squeezing her shoulder gently. “There is just one more thing.”

At her questioning glance, the Gold Guardian reached over to the vanity and picked up a red velvet case. She snapped it open and nestled amongst the ivory silk was a golden rose pin. The Gold Guardian picked it up delicately and held it up to Rose. “Handcrafted by me personally,” she said.

Rose closed her eyes and bowed her head, in a gesture for her to go ahead. With a smile, the Gold Guardian finished doing her hair and used the pin to keep the complicated bun held up. “All done,” she said.

Rose opened her eyes and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “What do you think?” she asked.

“Absolutely beautiful,” said the Gold Guardian. “He will not be able to resist.”

Rose went pink as she stood up. “Are you sure? He is a Time Lord,” she felt necessary to point that out.

“You know he isn’t like the others,” said the Gold Guardian, before she narrowed her eyes. “If you are not ready…”

“No, I am,” said Rose hastily. “I will be fine.”

“Good,” said the Gold Guardian with a smile. “Come then.”

~

The Doctor jogged back to the main ballroom, looking for Rose. He had run through the entire ground level of the mansion twice and hadn’t seen any sign of her. The ghosts around him were oblivious as ever of his presence, and the low strains of music were starting to grate on his nerves.

He finally left the ballroom and found the hallway with the grand staircase. He was about to head to the floors above to look for Rose when he realised that people were flocking to either side of the stairway and waiting eagerly for the person descending down the stairs. He maneuvered past them and was about to go upstairs when he saw Rose walking down the stairs. His instinct to call out to her froze on his lips and he felt his mouth go dry.

It was Rose, he knew it was Rose, but she looked no more real than the other people around him. The radiant golden colour of her gown (and he did have to wonder when she had changed her clothes) was muted and translucent like everyone else around him. She was smiling widely, but not at him, in fact it didn’t seem like she could see him at all.

He walked up to her, but she breezed right past him without a second glance and he felt like his stomach had turned to lead. “Rose,” he murmured but she didn’t turn around. Without hesitating, he went after her and fell in step with her and her companion, an older woman whom the Doctor didn’t recognise.

“A few more guests are yet to arrive,” her companion was whispering and the Doctor had to strain his ears to hear her. “So there’s no hurry yet.”

“How will I know him?” asked Rose nervously. 

The words sounded a little odd to the Doctor. Rose’s accent had softened over the years they had travelled together but now there was a refinement to the tone that seemed a little too foreign to belong to Rose. His look of worry deepened and he kept up with them to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Oh, you will know,” said her companion with a knowing smile. “It will be a feeling like no other when you see him.”

“But how will I know?” asked Rose insistently.

“Dance with every one of them until you feel a connection,” she said.

They arrived at the entrance of the ballroom and the Doctor nearly growled in anger when he saw the admiring looks being directed at Rose. If he had to hazard a guess from the snippet of conversation he had caught, he would think they were talking about a betrothal. The mere idea of Rose being brainwashed by these beings into marrying someone that wasn’t him had him seeing red. In his anger, he missed the name being announced for Rose and her companion and he brushed past the ghosts to walk into the ballroom after them.

He reached Rose just in time for her to walk into the middle of the ballroom and sink into a perfect curtsey as the guests all bowed to her. She straightened up and the Doctor couldn’t help but notice as nearly every man and a few women approached her to claim her first dance. She bestowed her smile, the one that she reserved for the Doctor, on a tall, handsome man in a traditional Earth tuxedo and accepted his hand for a dance.

The Doctor’s fists clenched as a flash of possessiveness went through him. The expression on Rose’s dance partner’s face was one of a man who couldn’t believe his own good fortune. The Doctor knew it very well, he knew he wore it himself when he was in Rose’s presence. He saw the expanse of Rose’s back left bare by her gown and the way her dance partner’s hand was resting there and all he could think of was ripping those hands off her.

He bumped into someone roughly and muttered out an apology, his eyes fixed on Rose and her partner who were swaying to the music. The music felt louder than ever and the Doctor’s headache was getting worse. It took him a moment longer to realise that he had physically bumped into someone, and that was only just enough to draw his attention away from Rose. 

“My lord,” said the man who the Doctor had bumped into. “We didn’t expect you to come.”

“I promised Rassilon I would,” said the Doctor, the words slipping out easily. His brow furrowed at the odd words but the loud music and the tinge of jealousy colouring his vision was making it hard to focus. “Who is she?” he asked, eyes trained on the woman in question.

“Lady Arkytior, my lord,” he said. “An Eternal, as I understand it.”

“I see,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Excuse me.”

Without even waiting to see if his abrupt departure had upset the person he’d been talking to, he brushed through the dancers just as the song came to an end. Dance partners bowed to each other and clapped politely for the orchestra. He ignored all of it, his attention fixed single-mindedly on her and before one of the other hopefuls even had a chance to approach her, he had snatched up her hand and drawn her against him.

Her eyes were wide as coins at his audacious manner, but she relaxed almost immediately, her lips curving into a smile. “If it was a dance you wanted, you only had to ask,” she said.

He ran a deliberate eye from the top of her golden head, down her gold dress and back to her sparkling eyes and shook his head. “I couldn’t take the chance of losing you to one of your admirers,” he said, inclining his head towards the crowd where more than one of the hopefuls were glaring daggers at him.

Her smile widened at that. “I had heard of Time Lords being possessive, but towards someone you have only just met? A bit unusual, is it not?” she asked, teasing evident in her tone.

The music started up and he started leading them perfectly, without ever moving his gaze from her eyes. “Unusual, yes, but hardly unheard of,” he said. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Arkytior.”

“Hardly fair that you know my name but I don’t know yours,” she pointed out, raising her eyebrows.

“A name’s unimportant from where I come from,” he said. “Unless it is spoken in the most intimate of circumstances,” he added in a voice dripping with innuendo.

She laughed joyfully at that. “You are unlike any Time Lord I have ever met,” she said, her words tinged with wonder.

“I shall take that as a compliment,” he said. “I would like nothing better than to assure you that it is merely your presence that has left me without my manners, but I have been told several times that rudeness is my natural state of being.”

“Rudeness is quite refreshing,” she said in a soft voice, a pink blush staining her cheeks. “But I do take some objection to the notion that my presence would ever make you lose your manners,” she added, gaining her cheekiness back.

The song ended and someone cleared their throat, but neither of them moved their gaze from each others’. A new song started up and he smiled as he started leading them again. “You are an Eternal,” he said. “You can take on the appearance of any creature in this universe. It is not your physical beauty that has drawn me in, although I do think you are quite beautiful.”

She blushed red at that. “Definitely unlike any Time Lord I have ever known,” she nodded firmly, biting her lip to stop her wide smile. 

He drew her closer and ran his fingers over her spine in a touch that was lighter than any feather, making her shiver. “Time is precious, to a Time Lord most of all,” he said, his voice going low and husky as his eyes moved between her eyes and lips. “Why waste it trivialising and dancing around the issue when it is quite clear that our minds have been clamouring to join from the moment our hands touched?”

She gasped at his bold words and lowered her gaze. “You know nothing about me,” she said, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

“And you know nothing of me,” he said. “Yet it’s curious how little we both care, don’t we? You, an Eternal and me, a Time Lord. Hardly beings you would consider to be slaves to their baser instincts.”

She met his challenging gaze boldly. “If that is the matter then we should do the right thing and walk away from each other right this moment,” she said. “Before those baser instincts overwhelm us and override our sense of judgment.”

“Is that what you want, my Arkytior?” he asked, moving his lips to her ear to murmur those words quietly. “Do you want me to go?”

Her eyes fluttered shut, her breath catching in her chest at his words. “I do not appreciate being claimed,” she said, but the impact of her words was ruined by the breathiness of her voice.

“I would not complain if you were to return the favour,” he said roguishly, pulling back so he could look at her again. “Do you know what I think? I think you have always listened to what you have been told. Followed orders, served the Guardians loyally and never let yourself waver in your responsibilities. Am I wrong?”

She glared coldly at him. “And you think I should be more like you?” At his look of surprise, she smirked. “Your reputation precedes you. You are one of the founders of the Time Lord society but you have never followed an order in your life, and you don’t think that any way other than yours is the right one.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” he said, smirking back. “But at least I am honest about what I want and who I want. What about you, Arkytior? Will you break your vows or is it your own heart you would rather break?”

“Do not presume to know my heart,” she said coolly.

“I would never,” he said, looking so sincere that she did a doubletake. “I am only asking you to know your own heart, my precious flower.” He smiled and finally broke his gaze from hers to look around the ballroom. “I think I spotted a balcony just off the parlour on my way here. Fresh air will do me good.”

The song ended just as he lifted her hand and placed a lingering kiss on the back of it. With a roguish wink at her, he dropped her hand and left towards the balcony with a definite swagger in his steps. She stood there and watched him go with a stunned expression on her face for a full minute, hardly noticing the group of hopefuls who had gathered near her for a dance.

“Excuse me, I need air,” she said, without looking at any of them and left the ballroom hastily, hardly caring that she was probably being unquestionably rude.

He was waiting in the balcony, hands resting on the railing. She paused just outside the doors and fidgeted with her hands, her mind going around in circles. She finally steeled herself and opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony, letting the doors fall close behind her.

He heard the doors close and he turned around with a tender smile on his face. “Have you made up your mind?” he asked.

She walked towards him and didn’t stop until she was standing right in front of him. “Yes,” she whispered and he was startled to see tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong, my Arkytior?” he asked, touching his fingers to her cheek tenderly.

“I have made my choice,” she said and placed her hand on top of his where it was resting on her cheek. “And I am so sorry.”

He only had a moment to look surprised before he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down in shock and saw crimson blood seeping through his clothes. Arkytior pulled the dagger out of his body and let it fall to the ground.

“As I said,” she said, her voice trembling. “I am sorry.”


	8. The Labyrinth: Dazed and Confused

_Previously_

_“I have made my choice,” she said and placed her hand on top of his where it was resting on her cheek. “And I am so sorry.”_

_He only had a moment to look surprised before he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down in shock and saw crimson blood seeping through his clothes. Arkytior pulled the dagger out of his body and let it fall to the ground._

_“As I said,” she said, her voice trembling. “I am sorry.”_

“You stabbed me,” he said, sounding more put off than hurt.

“Yes, I am aware,” she said, rolling her eyes lightly as she glanced around frantically.

“That really hurt,” he said, looking annoyed.

“Oh, stop it,” she said, dropping to her knees in front of him. “I avoided hitting anything important,” she added, unbuttoning his trousers.

“You are unbuttoning my trousers,” he pointed out as if she didn’t know.

She didn’t say anything as she gently moved his shirt out of the way to inspect the wound on his torso. Just as she had told him, she hadn’t hit anything major, and the wound was mostly superficial. With a quick glance at his face where he was still looking at her with disbelief, Arkytior let her eyes blaze golden before she ran a delicate finger over the wound, healing it completely. Her work done, she buttoned him back up and stood up. 

“All done,” she said. “Now, you have to leave.”

He ignored her words and wound an arm around her waist to draw her against him. “Are all your courtship rituals so odd?” he asked.

“This was not a courtship ritual,” she said. “This was me making my choice. Your ship must be nearby, shouldn’t it? I can tell them you escaped.”

His brow furrowed before his expression cleared abruptly. “You were told to kill me,” he said plainly.

“Yes,” she said. “I have the bloodied dagger where I hurt you but you overpowered me and ran away. I had no time to draw my pin.”

“Your pin?” he asked.

She reached into her hair and pulled out the gold rose pin, sending her hair cascading down her back as her bun came undone. She held the pin up to him. “The pin containing the poison meant to kill you,” she said.

“Ah,” he said, looking at it warily. She saw the look on his face and rolled her eyes before tossing it onto the dark grounds beyond the mansion. “Why?” he asked.

“Does it matter?” she asked, trying to move away from him, only to have him tighten his grip on her. 

“It matters to me,” he said. “You are disobeying your orders to kill me. What will the Guardians do once they find out that you’ve failed?”

“It does not concern you,” she said, as haughtily as she could.

“That is where you are wrong,” he said. “What will they do to you?” he asked again.

“We are wasting time,” she said. “You have to leave before they realise what I have done.”

“I am not going anywhere unless you tell me what I want to know,” he smirked.

She glared at him. “Why is it so difficult for you to do something you are told, for once in your life?” she asked, trying not to shiver at the way his fingers were combing through her hair and brushing over her bare back.

“You have put your life on the line for me,” he murmured, caressing the curve of her spine until her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned into his arms. “The Guardians would not let that go unpunished.”

“No,” she admitted finally, opening her eyes and looking at him. “If I am lucky, they will condemn me to a mortal life. I can deal with that. As long as it isn’t…” she snapped her mouth shut and looked away.

“As long as it isn’t what?” he asked curiously. 

“How do you know that this is not a part of my plan too?” she asked suddenly, getting a shrewd look on her face. “I could be tricking you right now to lull you into a false sense of security and I will slit your throat once you look away.”

He smiled at that and bent his head to kiss her pulse point softly. “Kill me then,” he murmured, pressing small butterfly kisses over her neck. “Did you hear what I said? I asked you to kill me,” he added, delighting in the way her pulse jumped at his touch. 

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him away enough to look at him. He was captivated by the fire in her eyes at his challenge but he only had a moment to admire it before she was kissing him, kissing him until he was seeing stars and the only thing he could feel were her lips on his, moving like they had done this over a hundred times.

“Come with me,” he murmured against her lips.

“I can’t,” she said as his kisses drifted back down to her neck with a fierce sort of hunger. “You’ll be in danger if they know I am with you.”

“Not on Gallifrey,” he said, letting his lips brush into the dip of her cleavage. “You will be safe behind the shields.”

“Not if Fenric finds me,” she countered, throwing her head back in pleasure.

He pulled her lips back to his and kissed her fiercely. “You are one of Fenric’s wolves?” he asked, nibbling on her bottom lip between words.

“Yes, and he does not like it when one of us disobeys him,” she said. “I should be fine if it is just the Guardians who see fit to punish me.” With great reluctance, she broke the kiss and pushed him away with her hand against his chest. “You have to go.”

“I am not going without you,” he said stubbornly. “Please. Come with me.”

“You are not responsible for me,” she said, shaking her head gently. “You do not have to worry about me.”

“I am in love with you,” he said plainly.

“No, you are not,” she said, smiling sadly. “You are merely caught up in the idea of saving me.”

He looked annoyed at that. “So what is your excuse for not killing me?” he asked shrewdly. “Are you also caught up in the idea of saving me?”

“There has been too much blood already,” she said. 

“I know,” he said. “So come with me. Let me love you, my Arkytior.” She looked away at that, but he cupped her cheek and met her gaze. “If you do not feel the same, tell me so and I shall take you somewhere safe and never see you again.”

Her eyes filled with tears at his sincere words and she closed them briefly, smiling as he brushed the tears from her cheek when they spilled over. “Alright,” she said finally and opened her eyes. “Take me with you.”

“Where?” he asked, knowing the answer already but wanting her to say it.

Her smile was like the sun coming out. “Wherever you go,” she said.

He beamed back at her and was about to kiss her again when they heard a familiar, low wheezing sound that was getting louder slowly. “The TARDIS,” they both said in unison and looked at each other in surprise. 

“How did you…?” he asked in confusion and blinked rapidly as if trying to clear his vision.

“God, my head feels like I’ve squashed it,” she said, closing her eyes and wrinkling her forehead. “Doctor, what the hell is going on?”

He stared at her and then looked back at the mansion where it had gone quiet. “They’re gone,” he said. “The ghosts have gone.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly. “What are you on about?” she asked. “Why am I wearing these clothes?”

“Rose, what do you remember?” he asked, cupping her face gently.

Rose blinked at him in confusion before her eyes went wide. “Did I stab you?” she asked and then glanced down at his abdomen where the bloodstain was still evident on his shirt.

“The Guardians,” he growled angrily. 

“I remember the Gold Guardian,” said Rose. “Did you see any of the others?”

“I expect not,” they heard and jumped in surprise as the Gold Guardian walked out onto the balcony, looking resplendent as ever. “They do not know you are here.”

“Seems unlike them to miss tormenting us,” said the Doctor, glaring at her angrily. Rose gripped his hand with hers, trying to calm him down.

“Tormenting you?” asked the Gold Guardian in surprise. “Is that what you think I have been doing?”

“Getting me to kill the Doctor isn’t tormenting us?” asked Rose incredulously.

“Neither of you were ever in danger,” said the Gold Guardian airily. “And I made you do nothing. The events you saw were your own memories.”

The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look at that before turning their attention back to the Gold Guardian. “But you brought us here,” said the Doctor, sounding confident despite the confusion in his eyes.

“Wrong again,” said the Gold Guardian. “I had no hand in bringing you here, nor did any of the other Guardians. I was just the first one to see you when you drifted into our domain and it was fortunate that I did too.”

“How was that fortunate?” demanded Rose.

“Would you have rather been caught by the Black Guardian? Or the Crystal Guardian?” she asked, raising a delicate eyebrow questioningly. “Do you think they would have let you go unharmed?”

“Are you letting us go?” asked the Doctor.

She nodded behind them and they turned around to find the TARDIS waiting for them on the grounds beyond the balcony. “I had no hand in bringing you here, nor did I wish you any harm. All I did was use this opportunity to invoke some memories in you,” she said.

“So the events that Rose and I just relived? Is that what happened back then?” asked the Doctor in a calm voice.

“Yes,” said the Gold Guardian, looking very tired suddenly. “The two of them ran to Gallifrey. The Guardians decided jointly that Arkytior had earned a death sentence for that. I was able to bargain for a mortal life instead,” she added, looking at Rose.

“Why did you?” asked Rose curiously.

“Because you were one of my personal creations,” said the Gold Guardian softly. “I had grown attached to you, despite everything.”

“But you wanted to kill me,” said Rose, looking at her with wide eyes. “You were all set to have the Time Lords execute me.”

“I was overruled,” she said simply. “I did manage to persuade them to stop pursuing you two once the Time Lords sent you to the parallel universe. Let the events happen as they may.”

“Are they going to come after us again?” asked the Doctor sharply.

The Gold Guardian shook her head. “No, they will not,” she said. “You should be able to return to your parallel world without any more trouble.”

“So, if you didn’t bring us here, then who did?” asked Rose.

“That is something you must learn for yourselves,” said the Gold Guardian with a wry smile. “The answer might be closer than you think.”

Rose’s brow furrowed at that odd statement and the way the Gold Guardian’s eyes flitted to the Doctor when she said it. 

“What I still don’t understand,” said Rose. “Is how I was able to heal the Doctor if we were just reliving a memory? The bloodstain is still there so he was hurt, but he isn’t anymore.”

The Guardian got a smile on her face. “I said I bargained for your mortality,” she said. “Never said anything about what that entailed, did I?”

Before the Doctor and Rose could do more than exchange startled looks, the Guardian vanished and left them standing in front of the TARDIS.

“Wha-What did she mean by that?” asked Rose.

“I am not sure,” said the Doctor, his jaw clenching. “Back to the TARDIS, come on. I will pilot us away from here and then it’s off to the medbay.”

Rose would have argued at his tone but she was still shaking from the implication of the Guardian’s words, not to mention the memory they had lived through. She let the Doctor guide her back into the TARDIS, her brain racing a million miles an hour.

It looked as if it would take a lot to even try and answer the plethora of questions that their latest adventure had raised.

~

The Valeyard observed the Doctor’s TARDIS returning to the parallel world with a smile. It also seemed that the Doctor had raised additional shields to prevent anyone else remote accessing his beloved ship.

“Ah well, it was fun while it lasted,” the Valeyard murmured to himself. He turned the scanner off and looked around for his companion. “Fitz! Where have you got to?”

Fitz walked out into the console room, munching on a piece of toast. “Sorry, I was just finishing breakfast,” he said. “We have somewhere to be?”

“Not quite yet,” said the Valeyard. “The Doctor and Rose have only just returned to your universe. Do you remember my offer?”

Fitz swallowed his bite of toast and nodded. “I keep telling you, they will look for me,” he said, his voice full of conviction.

“But if they don’t?” asked the Valeyard slyly.

“Then I know you are telling the truth,” admitted Fitz. “I’ll know that everything you have ever told me about the Doctor and Rose is the truth.”


	9. The Auton Invasion: The Question

“Hello,” said Rose when the Doctor stumbled in with his eyes half-closed, five o’clock shadow and all.

“I am finally done,” he said, dropping down into the armchair and leaning back in the plush chair. “And do you know what I know? Nothing, absolutely nothing!”

Rose smiled at him sympathetically. “There’s tea on the table next to you,” she said. “Just made a fresh pot.”

He fumbled for it blindly and poured himself a cup without breaking anything or scalding himself which Rose supposed was a victory. She turned back to her canvas, and then looked at the worktable next to her which was lacking her usual colours and held glass bowls of various coloured flower petals.

It was a new form of art which had developed in the 63rd century after an outbreak of mutated flora all over Earth. It wasn’t poisonous, but the flowers popping up everywhere were a pest until someone realised that the colours extracted from them made for wonderful paints. The paintings themselves had gained quite a traction.

Rose had been teaching herself to extract colour from the petals, and so far she had managed to get white, purple and red. She still needed yellow and blue at the very least for what she was planning to paint. These colours didn’t mix well and each one of them had to be extracted separately at just the right shade to get the required colour. She put down the bowl full of yellow petals and looked at the Doctor who looked slightly refreshed after finishing his tea.

“Still nothing then?” she asked sympathetically, knowing that he had spent a full week in the medbay poring over every test he had conducted on her.

“No,” he said, sounding dejected. “You are the very picture of health. Apart from the radiation, there is absolutely nothing wrong or anomalous about you.”

“Maybe the Gold Guardian was just messing with us,” she suggested, trying to lighten his mood.

He shook his head and glared at the empty teacup as if it had bitten him. “Guardians don’t do or say anything without a purpose,” he said, getting up from the chair and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her against him, her back to his chest. “Not having answers worries me,” he murmured, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Rose turned her head and kissed his temple lightly. “You’ll figure it out,” she said, picking up her brush and dipping it into the red paint. The Doctor’s grip on her restricted her movements slightly but she didn’t protest as he held her while she painted. She had missed him too, having realised that there was very little she could do to help him while he was analysing her blood and hair and whatever else he had thought of.

The Guardian’s words had worried her as well, specifically the implication that Rose might not be completely human. But if the tests were to be believed, then Rose was just fine. She just didn’t know what to think anymore.

The Doctor sighed and Rose glanced down at him, her heart melting in sympathy when she saw that he had closed his eyes and was simply breathing her in. The least she could do was cheer him up, she realised as she set the paintbrush down as quietly as she could and picked up the bowl of orange petals. 

“Doctor,” she murmured, hiding her smile until he opened his eyes.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Do these smell a little off to you?” she asked, holding the bowl to him. As soon as he bent closer to inhale, Rose upended the bowl in his face, plastering him with orange petals. He jumped back in surprise and Rose burst into giggles at the look of shock on his face and the petals sticking to his face.

It only took a moment for him to catch on and he lunged for Rose. “Come back here, you cheeky minx,” he said as Rose ran around the table, still giggling uncontrollably.

“What’s the matter, Doctor? Orange you glad to see me?” she asked.

He got a devious smirk on his face and he picked up a bowl of bright blue petals and chased after her. Rose gave a shriek and bolted around the room, trying to elude him but he was quicker than her and he caught up to her in no time and proceeded to shower her with the blue petals until she was covered in them.

The Doctor roared with laughter as Rose tried to shake the petals from her hair, a few of them falling down her blouse. “Feeling a little blue there, my Rose?” he asked.

Rose’s eyes met his in challenge and they both dived for the remaining bowls on the table, gathering the petals for ammo and throwing them at each other, giggles and shrieks escaping them as they got covered in the colourful flower petals. The Doctor was finally victorious when he managed to pin Rose against the wall, and emptied a bowl of sweet-smelling pink petals on her, laughing as he made sure that the petals were thoroughly tangled her hair and down the front of her blouse.

“Stop, stop, stop,” Rose giggled, trying to catch her breath when the Doctor attempted to stuff a few of the petals down the back of her blouse as well.

The Doctor was still laughing but he gave up trying to cover her with more petals. “I think I like this look on you, Rose Tyler,” he said.

“You can talk,” said Rose, chuckling at the myriad of petals caught in his curly hair.

He beamed at her, his eyes soft. “Can’t say I’ve ever used cherromile blossoms as weapons before,” he said, shaking his head to dislodge the petals from his hair. Rose made a face at him when the petals from his hair fell on her, and he made a face back at her, the wide smile on his face refusing to go away as he watched Rose attempt to shake the pink petals stuck in her hair. He knew she had started their little war on purpose to take his mind off things and he couldn’t be more grateful.

Abruptly, he was hit with how perfect this little moment was. The two of them, in the TARDIS, Rose painting, him worrying over things, and Rose making it all better in a way that only she knew how. An odd look graced his face, like he had just had the best idea.

Rose missed that look since she was trying to shake the petals off from the front of her blouse, jumping slightly to dislodge the ones that had stuck stubbornly to her. When she looked back up, she found the Doctor staring at her with a smile on his lips and a look on his face that was so tender and blissful, that she couldn’t help but beam at him. “Doctor?” she asked.

“Rose Tyler,” he breathed, his eyes shining. “Marry me.”

~

“So, where are we this time?” asked Fitz.

“Sshh, just watch,” said the Valeyard, pointing to the screen.

Fitz huffed slightly but looked at the screen. He just couldn’t make his mind up about the Valeyard. There were days when he thought it would be easier to believe that he was spinning nothing but lies, but Fitz knew that it was no longer an option. The very first time Fitz had seen him, he had been afraid. He had these curiously blank blue eyes, that seemed oddly familiar to Fitz, though the coldness in them always made him flinch.

But then warm words had come pouring out, and Fitz was confused. He told him he was a Time Lord, a former associate of the Doctor’s. Hence, the similar TARDIS exteriors, he had joked. Fitz would have found it suspicious, but he had told him a few stories about the Doctor, some that the Doctor himself had told Fitz, and he began to relax. The Valeyard explained that the Doctor and Rose had been called away for a while, and he had decided to take this opportunity to warn Fitz.

The idea that the Doctor and Rose meant harm to him was laughable to Fitz at first. They had saved him from prison, and taken him away on their travels. He had seen some amazing, terrible things with them, and he was ready to embrace that life as his own for as long as he could. He suspected that the Valeyard knew this very well, which was why he had been a little cautious about divulging any information initially.

Fitz’s curiosity had finally won, and he had asked the Valeyard to explain himself. Then the storied had come. The Doctor and Rose breaking the laws of time and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake wherever they went. A destroyed economy in the Amazon, a ruined civilisation on Eden IV, raging conflict on Lorena, theft on a train from Snowdell to Applepond...stories that Fitz didn’t believe until the Valeyard took him to the aftermath of each of those events. Seeing those places and the people had come as a nasty shock, and Fitz realised that despite how cold the Valeyard could seem at times, he was not a liar.

On the screen now, Fitz saw a beautiful futuristic city with tall, glass buildings in a myriad of colours. Gorgeous women, most of them blonde, walked through the streets, chatting and laughing happily. Fitz smiled involuntarily, his eyes fixed on them.

“Where are we?” he asked, his eyes glued to the screen.

“The planet of Goga,” said the Valeyard. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Fitz immediately. He turned to the Valeyard curiously. “Why are we here?”

The Valeyard looked grave. “It is about to be invaded,” he said. “By a ruthless colonising army.”

Fitz looked horrified. “What are we going to do about it?” he asked.

The Valeyard shook his head sadly. “Unfortunately, the events are fixed. See those blonde women? They’re called Drahvins. Once upon a time, they were a powerful conquering race, but internal strife among their ranks has made their forces weak. Now, they are all but powerless against the invaders.”

“What happened?” asked Fitz.

“The Doctor and Rose happened,” said the Valeyard. “Their interference caused the Drahvins to stop evolving, and made them weak.” He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. “The invasion is going to be brutal. The invaders have a reputation for being quite rough, especially towards women. I am afraid the Drahvin race will be severely diminished by the time this planet is colonised.”

Fitz stared in horror, his eyes moving between the Valeyard and the smiling blonde women on the screen. “They couldn’t have known,” said Fitz weakly. “The Doctor and Rose...they…” He couldn’t keep going.

“They fought the Drahvins actively, they stopped their advanced machinery, they incited a rebellion amongst the Drahvin classes, and then ran off without considering the consequences of their actions,” said the Valeyard, his words ruthless. “They may not have killed them, but they signed their death warrants regardless.”

“Why are you doing this?” demanded Fitz, rounding on him. “Why are you telling me all these...things about them?”

“Because I want to keep you safe, Fitz,” said the Valeyard earnestly, though his blank blue eyes remained unchanged. “I don’t want you to become a casualty of their carelessness. You have already lost the woman you loved. How much more are you willing to lose? How much do you think the universe is ready to lose because of the two of them?”

Fitz sagged, feeling very tired all of a sudden. “I want to go home,” he said finally. “I am done. I want out.”

“I can’t take you back home, Fitz,” said the Valeyard, shaking his head in sympathy. “You are a wanted man there. You have the Doctor and Rose to thank for that too, I expect.”

“Somewhere else then,” he said. “Anywhere else.”

“And what if they do find you there? What makes you think that your life wouldn’t suffer, just like every other person whom they meet?” asked the Valeyard.

“You said they won’t come for me,” he protested. “That they haven’t responded to my message even though they are back in this universe.”

“Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t eventually bring their trouble to your doorstep,” the Valeyard pointed out.

Fitz had no fight in him anymore. He shook his head. “Fine then, just tell me what it is that you want me to do,” he said, closing his eyes.

He missed the smirk that graced the Valeyard’s face at his words. “Don’t worry, Fitz,” he murmured. “Just do as I say, and then you no longer have to deal with anything concerning the Doctor and Rose. You will never have to worry about them.”

~

Rose smiled to herself as the Four Seasons played on the ancient record player. The TARDIS had created this room just for today. There was a bath in the corner, filled to the brim with bubbles, the scent of vanilla filling the room. Rose petals were scattered over the water, and candles lined the bath, the rose scent mixing with the lavender of the candles.

There was a full length gilded mirror in the centre of the room, next to the record player. A vanity and seat was set next to it, holding everything she would need today. Behind the vanity was a beautiful Victorian chaise lounge with deep red upholstery, and upon it was a white garment bag.

That garment bag had come with Rose, having been smuggled in without the Doctor knowing, when they had visited her mother. Jackie had not taken no for an answer, insisting that Rose would have a wedding dress made for her. Rose hadn’t had the heart to refuse, knowing quite well that her mother was already feeling sad about missing her only daughter’s wedding. The day after Jackie had given her the rings, she had called in a favour with a friend of a friend, and Rose had been measured for a wedding gown to be made especially for her. 

It hadn’t come cheap, the delicate vintage lace and the work that had gone into it, not to mention the time deadline, had made it quite expensive. Rose had insisted on paying, her savings having been accruing interest in the bank, not to mention the small payout she had got from UNIT that she had no idea about. Apparently, being an “assistant” to their best expert meant having quite the loaded paycheck. She had paid for the dress and put the rest in her mum’s name. 

Getting the dress on board the TARDIS without the Doctor knowing had been difficult, not the least of which was the fact that Rose hadn’t wanted to explain why she had got a beautiful gown made just for her when they hadn’t even talked about marriage. She hadn’t known at the time if he would even want a human wedding, let alone have her dress like a bride. But the doubts were all melted away now, and Rose hadn’t stopped smiling since the moment she had said yes.

The question had seemingly come out of nowhere, and a part of Rose had been concerned with the odd timing of it. But standing right there in her workshop, petals covering them and half the room, smiling at each other like fools, the moment could not have been better. Rose had honestly never been one for ceremony, and for her, the proposal had been just perfect. It had been made all the better when they had ended up making love on the floor of her workshop, the petals crushing between them, causing a myriad of colours to smear over their skin.

She laughed to herself and examined her arms that were still slightly purple despite her shower before going to bed the night before. She was certain that the bath would wash the rest of it away, so she loosened her robe and let it fall as she stepped into the bath. The warm water relaxed her even more, settling the butterflies in her stomach, if only for the moment.

The Doctor had been ecstatic at her enthusiastic yes, and they had planned their wedding while lying on the bed of petals on the uncomfortable floor of her workshop. The Doctor had been ready to give her any kind of wedding that she wanted, but Rose had been very, very specific in her request. Even the Doctor had been surprised by it, though he didn’t need to be convinced for long. Rose had declared that they had everything they needed, except for something blue, she’d added cheekily but the Doctor had got a thoughtful look on his face and said he’d take care of it.

Rose settled back into the bath and let the strains of the Four Seasons wash over her. She trusted the Doctor when he said he’d only need a few hours to make the arrangements. She also knew her mother would disapprove of how quickly they were getting married since the Doctor had asked her just the night before, but Rose didn’t care.

It was the morning of their wedding, and in three short hours, she was about to marry the Doctor.


	10. The Auton Invasion: The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Rose's dress](http://www.justinalexanderbridal.com/wedding_dresses/8653)  
> [Rose's ring](http://www.gemvara.com/jewelry/rose-and-thorn-ring/round-sapphire-platinum-ring/1n2s8)  
>  Any differences in usual wedding ceremonies and/or legal matters have been modified for convenience.

Rose was trying not to tremble too much as she examined her reflection for the last time before she joined the Doctor in the console room. The butterflies in her stomach had returned in full force while she was getting ready, and they were yet to settle.

Her dress was quite simple, an A-line, beaded lace white dress with a sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves. The back dipped into a V leading to a row of pearl buttons and a sweeping train on the full skirt. There were no complicated textural parts to it, and despite its delicate appearance, the lace was wonderfully sturdy. Her hair was loose in gentle ringlets down her back, the front pulled back by a beaded ivory haircomb that she had bought a long time ago in the 1900s when Rory had still been travelling with them. Rose supposed that was her ‘something old’, despite it being new in the time that she had bought it. 

The only piece of jewellery she wore were the silver earrings that the Doctor had given her for her last birthday when they had been in Monte Carlo with Fitz. She hadn’t even taken them out of the box, and the delicate dangling earrings would make up her ‘something new’. The ‘something borrowed’ were the white ballet flats she had got from the TARDIS wardrobe, and if the Doctor was to be believed, he would have the ‘something blue’. Rose touched up her pink lipstick and thought of her mother, wishing she could have been there to help her get ready. The smile on her face dimmed when she realised that she had no idea if she would even see her again. 

Tears gathered in her eyes but she blotted them out before they could seep out of her eyes. She had promised her mother that she would be happy, and she wasn’t one for going back on her word. She raised the dress once to tighten the garter belts on her white stockings before she stood back and twirled in front of the mirror, making sure that everything was just right.

Satisfied, yet nervous, she left the little room that the TARDIS had made for her and emerged out into the corridor. The TARDIS had helpfully moved the room closer, so Rose took a deep breath and walked out into the console room. She saw the Doctor before he saw her, and she smiled when she saw he was wearing a tailcoat tuxedo rather than his usual clothes. He still wore a waistcoat and a cravat, but instead of his usual dull grey, they were bright silver and went very well with his white shirt, black trousers and black tailcoat. He was busy examining something on the console, but Rose only had to take one more step forward for him to look up.

His eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed wordlessly as he straightened up from the console slowly and walked towards her. Rose felt a blush bloom on her cheeks at the look on his face, and she couldn’t help but smile nervously at him. “Alright?” she asked, her voice uncharacteristically breathy.

“Alright?” he asked. “Alright?” he repeated incredulously, looking her up and down. “Rose Tyler, alright isn’t how I’d describe you.” He slowly walked all around her, his face still full of awe. “Beautiful, enchanting, mesmerising, ethereal, lovely...words, Rose Tyler,” he said, his eyes bright when he finally stood in front of her again. “There aren’t enough words.” Rose’s blush deepened and the Doctor took her hands and kissed them slowly, keeping his gaze on hers. “I have never seen someone so beautiful in my lives, my love,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “And if I didn’t want our first kiss today to be as husband and wife, I would kiss you right now.”

Rose giggled as some of her nervousness faded and the Doctor smiled, though his eyes didn’t lose their intensity. “You look amazing,” she said, squeezing his hands, looking him up and down just as he had done her. “Very handsome.”

He inclined his head in agreement. “I do my best,” he said, attempting modesty that was ruined somewhat by the pleased smile on his face. “You, on the other hand,” his gaze roved over her again. “I am speechless, Rose. The dress, and you…” he trailed off and shook his head, gazing at her in wonder.

Rose smiled at him, her tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth. “Mum called in a favour,” she explained.

“Ah,” he nodded. “Clever woman, your mother. She knew before either of us did.” Rose’s eyes misted slightly and she nodded. The Doctor’s gaze softened and he released one of her hands to brush his knuckles gently over her cheek. “Oh, Rose,” he said. “If there’s anything I wish I could give you more…”

“Hush,” said Rose, pressing her finger to his lips. “I do miss my mum and I am sad that she won’t be here for our wedding. But that is in no way your fault. It’s our wedding day, Doctor, and there won’t be any more apologising.”

He kissed her finger and nodded with a warm smile. “Your wish is my command,” he said.

Rose laughed and tilted her chin up in fake haughtiness. “Then I wish for you to give me my ‘something blue’ so that we may get married,” she said.

“What about the others?” he asked.

Rose turned her head and showed him the comb. “Something old,” she said. “Something new,” she indicated her earrings. “And something borrowed,” she dropped his hands and lifted the skirt of her dress so that he could see her shoes. “All I’m missing now is something…” the Doctor took her left hand and slipped a ring on her finger. “Blue,” she finished, her eyes fixed on the beautiful engagement ring.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Rose looked up at him in astonishment. “When did you get this?” she asked, looking at the round sapphire set inside an elegant rose with carved thorns lining the platinum band. 

“I made it,” he said.

“When?” asked Rose.

“Last night,” he said. “I was resizing your grandparents’ wedding bands, as I promised. But I realised that I had skipped a tradition of your time, so I set about carving a band and affixed it with a sapphire.” He fidgeted when Rose continued to look at the ring in silence. “Don’t you like it?” he asked.

Rose looked surprised. “I love it,” she said, truthfully. “It’s perfect, and it matches the band. How did you even find a sapphire?”

“I have a collection of precious gems in the TARDIS,” he confessed. “I rarely touch it, but I wanted to give you something meaningful, like you did with your grandparents’ wedding bands.”

“I really, really love it,” said Rose, looking at it again. “It’s perfect as my something blue.”

“Ah,” he said. “That’s not exactly your something blue.” At her look of confusion, he reached into his coat pocket and drew out a TARDIS blue cloth that was about a foot long. 

“What is it?” asked Rose, taking it in her hand and marvelling at the light fabric that was the softest and the most luxurious material she had ever touched. 

The Doctor’s eyes were fixed on the way she was holding it, and he hastily looked at her when she asked that. “It will be used in our bonding later,” he said. “The bonding ceremony...it’s a little similar to handfasting from your planet. Political marriages on Gallifrey have the two people holding each end of this cloth through the ceremony.”

“But it’ll be different for us?” asked Rose.

He nodded. “Our hands will be touching, palm to palm, and this cloth will bind our wrists. Your right to my left.” Rose smiled and held up her right hand to him. He looked surprised. “I thought we were planning on waiting until we were married by human customs to bond.”

“We are,” she assured him. “But I will wear my something blue, if you don’t mind.”

“Wouldn’t it be considered odd for the time that we are in?” he asked, though he didn’t particularly sound opposed. “For the bride to wear a cloth around her wrist?”

“I don’t care,” she said with a soft smile. 

He beamed at her and wound the cloth around Rose’s wrist a few times before tying a little bow on the inside of her delicate wrist. He kissed her hand once he was done. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Rose fingered the bow lightly and beamed back at him. “Right then, my Doctor,” she said. “Shall we go and get married?”

He straightened up and offered her his arm. “If you would do me the honour,” he said.

Rose linked her arm through his and used her free hand to hold up the train of her dress so that it wouldn’t be ruined before they got to their destination. The TARDIS doors opened to an unnaturally sunny day, and the Doctor released her arm for only a moment to snatch up the newspaper lying on a bench to the side.

“5th of March, 2012,” he said, showing her the date. “The village of Gretna Green,” he waved an arm at their surroundings. “And it is almost noon,” he added, checking his pocketwatch which he promptly stuck back into his pocket. “Just as you asked, my lady.”

Rose beamed at him happily. “Thank you, Doctor,” she said.

He looked slightly amused as he took her arm again. “We do have a time machine, you know,” he said. “We could have been married anywhere we wanted. Eloping to Gretna Green is hardly necessary.”

Rose shook her head fondly. “I know we have a time machine, which is why I requested this particular day,” she said.

“I realised that,” he nodded, as they smiled at some of the villagers who grinned at them as they passed. “5th of March is when we met. At the shop underneath a Cybermen ship. I know you said the year could be any one I wanted as long as it was somewhere close to your time and the TARDIS seemed to like 2012, for some reason. It’s the Gretna Green part that I am slightly confused by.”

“I have never been one for wanting a big wedding,” said Rose. “I always thought if I ever got married, I would simply elope to Gretna Green. You are giving me my ideal wedding, Doctor, I promise.”

He gazed at her for a moment and nodded. “Alright then,” he said, as they stopped in front of a cream coloured house with large Georgian windows. “Here we are.”

“Is it a Chapel?” asked Rose.

“No,” said the Doctor. “Francis St. James is a Justice of Peace and his daughter Tessa runs this little place where young couples come to elope. They showed me around when I was here before and they have a lovely yard and a gazebo…”

“Doctor,” interrupted Rose with a laugh. “It’s perfect,” she assured him. “Now, let’s go before we are late to our own wedding.”

He laughed in agreement and the two of them went over to the front door and knocked. It was opened by a woman in her late thirties whose face burst into a huge smile when she saw them.

“Doctor Smith,” she greeted. “And this must be your lovely wife-to-be.”

“Tessa, this is my Rose,” introduced the Doctor. “Rose, this is Tessa Ellis. I believe she will be one of our witnesses when we get married.”

“Oh aye, I will be,” she nodded, beckoning them in. “My husband Dom will be the other. He’s just out back setting up the gazebo. My Dad’s waiting in the office though. We will be signing the paperwork before we have the ceremony so that you newlyweds are free to run off as soon as you have kissed.”

She laughed heartily and Rose took a liking to her immediately. Tessa was dressed in a pastel pantsuit, looking professional as can be, but the wide, beaming smile on her face was completely sincere. She led them through the house to an office near the stairs. She knocked twice before a voice called at them to enter.

“I have Dr. Smith and Rose Tyler,” she said.

“Bring them in then,” the voice was a bit grumpy and Tessa glanced at them apologetically.

“Forgive my Dad,” she told them in a low voice. “He’s been getting on in years.”

“What are you whispering about?” he asked and Rose saw a man in his late seventies dressed as severely as any old-fashioned Headmaster sitting at his desk. He even had the thick glasses resting on his nose. 

“Nothing, Dad,” said Tessa with a smile, though it was a bit strained. “Come in, you two.”

Francis St. James stood up when the Doctor and Rose entered and peered at them. “Hmm,” he said. “Well, sit then.”

The Doctor and Rose jumped a little at his abrupt tone but dutifully took a seat. Francis examined the papers in front of him and nodded. “All of these are in order and I have your certificate ready. Tessa, fetch Dominic.”

“He’s on his way,” said Tessa as she took the papers from him and set them in front of the Doctor and Rose. “Just read them to make sure there are no mistakes,” she told them.

Rose read them quickly, smiling when she saw that the Doctor had given his name as ‘John Theta Sigma Smith’. Hers was her own, and the certificate held the date for John Theta Sigma Smith and Rose Marion Tyler’s wedding. She glanced at the Doctor, who smiled lovingly at her, looking away only when Tessa’s husband Dom came in.

“Everything in order?” Tessa asked them as Dom nodded at them in greeting.

“Yes,” said the Doctor. “May we have a pen?”

Tessa picked up a biro from the desk and gave it to him. He smiled softly at Rose before signing under his name. Rose took the biro when he was done and signed the certificate with shaking hands.

“Congratulations, you two,” said Tessa as she and Dom signed as witnesses before Francis took it and sealed it with the official seal.

“Thank you,” said Rose, and the Doctor took the certificate and put it away carefully inside his coat.

“Let’s get on with the other part then,” said Francis, his bones apparently creaking when he got out of his chair and started leading the way out.

Tessa smiled at them apologetically, but the Doctor and Rose were too happy to care. They exchanged giddy smiles all the way to the backyard and Rose couldn’t help but gasp at the little gazebo set up in the bright afternoon sun. She inhaled deeply but the scent she remembered from green grass and sunshine was surprisingly muted. She wondered about it briefly but they had reached the gazebo and Rose had to marvel at the simple yet elegant flower arrangements.

Tessa picked up a bouquet of pink roses and gave it to Rose. “Here you go, lovie,” she said. “Do you have the rings, Doctor?”

The Doctor nodded and handed Rose his ring, and the two of them stood before Francis, as Tessa and Dom stayed on the side. 

Francis cleared his throat a few times. “Dear all, it is my duty and my honour to unite these two souls, John Theta Sigma Smith and Rose Marion Tyler, in matrimony today,” he said, sounding nothing like the grumpy man they had met in his office. “As per their request, they will henceforth be referred to as the Doctor and Rose Tyler. I understand you have written your own vows. Doctor…”

“Ah yes,” said the Doctor, as he took Rose’s hand in his and inhaled deeply. “Rose, my love, there are so many things I could say about how much you mean to me, but I am afraid there aren’t enough words to describe everything that you are and everything that you have done for me. I never wanted to be in love and I never wanted to belong to anyone. I knew that it would always just be me in the end because everyone else would leave and find someone else. I was prepared to lose you too, but I knew it would hurt so much more if you were gone.” He gazed at her lovingly and Rose felt tears gathering in her eyes. “You brought so much light into my life, Rose. You showed me that I didn’t have to be alone, that it wouldn’t just be me in the end. That I would have you by my side, through everything that the universes might put us through. My Rose, my love, my goddess...I love you with everything that I was, am and will be. My love for you will never die and I shall love you dearly until the end of time and beyond.”

Rose sniffed lightly when she saw the utter sincerity in the Doctor’s eyes and the slight moisture in them. He smiled at her, never moving his gaze from hers.

“Rose,” prompted Francis and Rose had to swallow a few times before she could speak.

“Doctor,” she said. “Oh god, Doctor, where would I even start?” The Doctor chuckled lightly and Rose laughed with him before she got a soft look on her face. “I had a really dull life before I met you. Everything was predictable and set in a certain path. But you whisked me away and showed me how big the world really is. But more importantly, you showed me who I am and what I can do when I have your belief in me to guide me. I know that the odds have always been against us and maybe they still are, but as long as we have each other, we know we can face anything. You once asked me how long I would stay with you. My answer was forever, and that answer will never change. I love you, my Doctor. I love you for who you were, are and will be. Forever.”

The Doctor squeezed the hand he was holding and Rose smiled through her tears. Francis cleared his throat. “The rings?”

The Doctor drew out the wedding band from his pocket and Rose handed her bouquet off to Tessa before they faced each other again. “Doctor, do you take Rose Tyler to be your lawfully wedded wife?” asked Francis.

“I do,” answered the Doctor, his eyes shining as kissed Rose’s hand before sliding the wedding band on her finger where the engagement ring was already sitting.

“Rose Tyler, do you take the Doctor to be your lawfully wedded husband?” asked Francis.

“I do,” she said, beaming at the Doctor before putting the wedding band on the ring finger of his left hand.

“By the power vested in me by Her Majesty the Queen and the country of Scotland, I pronounce you husband and wife,” said Francis. “You may kiss.”

The Doctor cupped her face with both his hands and brushed their noses together before tilting his head and capturing her lips with his own. Rose smiled into the kiss before pulling away and throwing her arms around the Doctor in a tight hug. He laughed in delight at her enthusiastic hug as picked her up and twirled her around, kissing her once again when he had set her down.

“Congratulations, Doctor Smith, Mrs. Smith,” said Francis, cracking the first smile they had seen on him.

Rose blushed at being called Mrs. Smith, but the Doctor merely shook Francis’ hand, keeping an arm wrapped around Rose’s waist. “Thank you,” said the Doctor, smiling at Francis, Tessa and Dom. “We couldn’t be more grateful.”

“Oh, nonsense. We were only too happy to help,” said Tessa, handing Rose her bouquet back. “You two be on your way now. Have a good honeymoon.”

“We will,” nodded Rose as they shook Dom and Tessa’s hands. “Thank you for all your help.”

“Goodbye, Doctor, Rose,” nodded Dom.

The Doctor and Rose waved at them as they set off towards the TARDIS hand in hand. The giddiness of their smile hadn’t gone away but the nerves had, so when Rose lifted the bouquet to her nose but couldn’t smell the roses, her smile dimmed. “Doctor,” she said and he gazed at her in confusion. “Can you smell these?”

He shook a finger teasingly at her. “I am not falling for that one again,” he said.

She spared a brief moment of amusement for their little tussle the night before, but shook her head. “I mean it,” she said.

“Probably nothing,” he said. “So, I was thinking we could return to the TARDIS…”

“Doctor,” interrupted Rose as they emerged out onto the street. The sun had gone behind some clouds and Rose realised that the smell of coming rain was muted, just like everything else. “Doctor, stop,” she said when he tried to hurry them along.

He stopped finally and sighed deeply. “Rose, please,” he said. “Let’s just go back to the TARDIS.”

“Tell me what’s wrong,” said Rose, cradling his cheek in her palm. “Doctor.”

He sighed and turned his head to kiss her palm. “It’s our wedding day, Rose,” he said. 

“All the more reason to tell me,” she said and smiled when he cracked a reluctant grin. 

“One day,” he said. “That’s all I wanted. One day where the universe doesn’t stick its nose in our lives.”

“So, something is wrong?” asked Rose.

He nodded. “I noticed it when we first arrived and you were getting ready. The air is all wrong, the atmosphere feels odd. That’s what’s dulling our sense of smell,” he explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“Because it is our wedding day, Rose,” he said, drawing her into the circle of his arms. “I wanted to give you the best day possible. I wanted us to get married by your customs and then return to the TARDIS where we would finish our bonding ceremony before making love and completing our telepathic bond. And then I would spend the next year or so worshipping my beautiful wife on our honeymoon that I have planned quite extensively, you understand. Nowhere in there was examining why the bloody atmosphere has gone wrong.”

Rose who had been getting teary-eyed, chuckled at the mention of the honeymoon and the way her heart jumped when he called her his wife. She couldn’t help but kiss him for that, feeling delighted when he returned the kiss with equal fervour. “As wonderful as that sounds, and believe me, it really, really does,” she murmured against his lips. “We wouldn’t be us if we walked away when we knew something was wrong. Wedding day or not, we have to see what’s going on here.”

“But, why?” he practically whined and Rose laughed as she lifted his left hand and kissed his wedding band. He sighed at the action and then glared playfully at her. “The things I do for you, Rose Tyler.”

“Don’t complain,” she teased him as she linked her arm with his and they turned away from going towards the TARDIS. “You decided to marry me. There’s no going back now. You are stuck with me.” She laughed teasingly, trying to twirl away from him but the Doctor pulled her against him tightly.

“Stuck with you, Rose Tyler? That is not so bad,” he said.

“Yeah?” she asked, her eyes impossibly soft.

“Yes,” he said firmly, sealing his words with a kiss.


	11. The Auton Invasion: Perfect Reflection

The village of Gretna Green was so used to seeing eloping couples that a man in a tux and a woman in a white dress drew no more attention than anyone else. So when the Doctor and Rose were walking around the village, no one spared them a second glance apart from a kindly congratulations or two. They realised quite quickly that spare a few main streets where the majority of chapels were, the rest of the village was quiet as can be. There were small, picturesque houses around but with very little people out and about, and with the approaching storm, the muted sense of smell was beginning to become even more obvious.

“It’s like having a cold,” said Rose, wrinkling her nose. “I know there’s nothing wrong with my sense of smell but I just want to keep sniffing.”

“Female humans have a stronger olfactory sense,” said the Doctor. “They can identify their offspring, potential mates and so on just with their sense of smell. Having one of your senses dulled can be uncomfortable, to say the least.”

“Like fumbling in the dark,” said Rose, looking around the village. “It really is quiet here, isn’t it?”

The Doctor had been examining the ground for a long moment and didn’t answer immediately. “I believe most people are staying indoors to stay out of the coming storm,” he said and then gazed skyward before looking back at the ground.

“What?” asked Rose, when she saw the irritated look on his face. 

“I knew it,” he growled as he stood up. “I don’t believe I have ever wanted to be more wrong, but it’s so obvious now that there might as well be a large beacon in the sky pointing to wherever we are and saying that this isn’t Earth.”

“Hold on, hold on, back up,” said Rose incredulously. “We’re not on Earth?”

“Not even close,” he said. “It’s a good copy. It’s a very, very good copy, but this isn’t Gretna Green. Not the real Gretna Green, at least.”

“What are you saying? Someone recreated Gretna Green away from Earth for fun?” asked Rose, still in disbelief.

“Not just Gretna Green, but this particular day. 5th of March, 2012,” he said and then ran towards one of the quieter houses. Rose gathered up her skirts and followed him, watching in surprise when he used the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door instead of knocking.

“Doctor,” she hissed as they entered the house. “We are breaking and entering into somebody’s home.”

“Not when no one lives here,” he said and Rose glanced around. It was furnished perfectly and the surfaces were spotless but there was nobody home.

“Just because no one’s home doesn’t mean it’s deserted,” said Rose, following the Doctor into the kitchen.

“Mum, dad, two children,” he said, looking at the photos on the fridge and then opened it to show Rose an empty fridge. “What home with two children between the ages of 10 and 15 has an empty fridge?”

Rose would have argued the point but with the expensive furniture and devices around the home, not to mention there wasn’t a single thing inside the fridge, she had to admit that something was very wrong. “So, what do you think is going on?” she asked.

“Like I said, it’s a replica,” he said, examining the stack of newspapers set out in a neat pile next to the kitchen table. “All of them are identical,” he added, picking up a few and showing them to Rose. “All for the 5th of March, 2012. Must be at least fifty of them. And look at the calendar.”

Rose followed him over to where the calendar was pinned to the wall. It was one of the old-fashioned ones where you would tear off each day to see the date for the next day. It showed a large red 5 followed by March and 2012 in smaller writing. The Doctor pointedly tore it off and the one after it held the same 5. And so on it went, until Rose got the point. 

“What about the people? Tessa and Dom and Francis?” she asked.

The Doctor grimaced. “Either they have no idea that they aren’t on Earth, or they are not who they said they are,” he said.

Rose winced but nodded. “You have seen this before, haven’t you?” she asked, realising that the leaps he had made had been quite deliberate.

“Hmm, yes,” he nodded. “Autons. No one else has technology to replicate entire surroundings so effectively. It’s not just the atmosphere that’s masking our smell, but the fact that those flowers were no more real than the grass or the soil.”

Rose plucked a petal from her bouquet and pressed it between her fingers. It felt just as soft as a rose petal would feel but when she crushed it, it was so dry that it might as well have been plastic. “What are the Autons?” asked Rose, dropping the bouquet on the table.

“They are plastic, living plastic creatures,” said the Doctor, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he sat down at the kitchen table. “They are usually controlled by a Nestene Host and have the ability to animate any bit of plastic as well as create almost anything, including an entire village.”

“Or people?” asked Rose, dread striking her heart.

“Or people,” nodded the Doctor in a tired voice. “Do you want to perhaps reconsider returning to the TARDIS?”

Rose mustered up a smile and kissed his cheek softly. “Not a chance,” she said.

He smiled ruefully and pulled her down onto his lap. “Our wedding day,” he stressed yet again as if she had forgotten.

“You have to admit that this is just like us,” she said, a touch of amusement in her tone. “Trouble was bound to be our wedding guest.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he said, resting his head into the crook of her neck and closing his eyes. 

Rose ran her fingers through his hair, smiling when she realised that he had used some sort of pomade to tame his unruly curls. “Do you really want us to have a year-long honeymoon?” she asked instead, trying to cheer him up.

He pulled away and got the most offended look on his face. “Of course not,” he said indignantly. “I only _planned_ for a year. I intend to keep our honeymoon going for far longer than that.”

Rose laughed at that and the Doctor couldn’t hold onto his sour mood any longer seeing how happy his bride was. He nudged her nose with his and smiled as he kissed her soundly. 

“Blimey, what was that for?” asked Rose breathlessly when she pulled away, looking a little dazed.

“Let’s get this little mystery solved,” he said, lifting Rose from his lap as he stood up. “Once we are done here, I am taking you back to the TARDIS and I don’t think we’ll be leaving the vortex for a while.”

“I like the sound of that,” said Rose, blushing a delightful pink. “So, where do we start?”

“The Nestene Consciousness uses thought control, and we could try tracing the signal of the transmitter first,” said the Doctor. “There has to be a reason why they have created such an elaborate replica of this day in particular on Gretna Green.”

“Can you use your sonic screwdriver to trace the signal?” asked Rose.

“No, I will need the TARDIS for that,” he said. “The only problem is, I don’t want to lead them to the TARDIS if they aren’t aware of her yet. The superior technology will only cause them to get more agitated.”

“Wouldn’t they have noticed our arrival?” asked Rose. “I mean if they went as far as to replicate Gretna Green in a place that’s not Earth, surely a pair of aliens appearing in a blue box would have registered on their radar.”

“Good point,” nodded the Doctor. “Maybe they wanted to keep up appearances and thought we would leave without noticing that something was amiss.”

“That means they would have to be tracking us to make sure that we would leave,” said Rose and her wide eyes met the Doctor’s in alarm.

“The bouquet,” said the Doctor and pointed his sonic screwdriver at it. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment but then a small pop was heard and the smell of burning plastic filled the air. 

Rose moved to the Doctor’s side slowly, keeping a wary eye on the bouquet. “Run?” she asked.

“Run,” he agreed but the moment the two of them turned to leave, they found themselves staring at Tessa.

“Come on, quick,” she urged them. “Before they find you.”

The Doctor and Rose exchanged wary looks but at Tessa’s urging, they followed after her. She led them out through the back door of the house they were in and then towards a smaller pink cottage. The Doctor was keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings but no one seemed to be following them just yet.

Tessa ran up the front porch of the pink house and rapped her knuckles three times in quick succession on the door. There was a pause and then Dom opened the door. “Did you find them?” he asked.

“Yes, they’re here,” she hissed back. “Come on, you two, inside.”

They were well-aware that it could be a trap but unless the Nestene Consciousness had learned to make Autons organic, Tessa and Dom were not made of plastic. The Doctor nodded at Rose subtly and the two of them entered the house after Dom. Tessa closed the door behind them and Dom led them through a semi-dark hallway and down a flight of stairs into a surprisingly well-lit basement. Francis was sitting there, with four or five other people in the village, all of them conversing in low voices.

“I found them,” Tessa announced.

They looked at the Doctor and Rose and nodded. “Sorry about the device in the bouquet,” said a tall woman who could have been Tessa’s sister with the same dark hair and blue eyes. “I’m Val St. James,” she introduced, holding her hand out to them.

“I’m the Doctor, this is Rose,” said the Doctor, still looking quite wary as he and Rose shook Val’s hand. “I assume you were listening in.”

“Yes,” she nodded. “We tried to get your ship to safety but the Autons have it already.”

The Doctor’s jaw clenched. “Someone explain what is going on here,” he said sharply. “Who are you people? You are not Autons, but you are certainly not humans either.”

“They aren’t?” asked Rose in surprise.

“No, we are not,” said Val with a small smile. “We are the Jeskalonians.”

“Jeskalonians? But…” Rose stopped and bit her lip. She had almost blurted out Lambda’s name, forgetting entirely that this was a parallel world. 

The Doctor squeezed her hand. “This isn’t your planet,” he said. “We are too close to Earth.”

“Yes, this asteroid is among the many between Mars and Jupiter, as the Earthlings refer to it,” said Val. “We set up a facility here. For research purposes only, no interference.”

“And the Nestene? How did they find you?” asked the Doctor.

“By mistake, at first,” said Francis, his voice strong and nothing like the old man who had performed their wedding ceremony. “We were camouflaged well and they landed thinking the asteroid was empty.”

“Once they realised we were here, it didn’t take them long to subjugate us,” said Tessa, sighing sadly.

“Surely you had defenses,” said Rose.

“We are a peaceful race,” said Val. “And we were a research team. The Autons have weapons inside their hands. As you can gather, it wasn’t a very fair fight.”

“They set up this replica of a village,” said Dom. “Each of us were given an identity. A role to play and perfect, until no one could tell we were not human.”

“But why?” asked Rose. “What is it all for?”

“We don’t know,” said Val with a deep sigh. “We were a big research group once and now the only ones left of us are the people you see here.”

“And the rest of the villagers are Autons?” asked Rose horrified.

She merely got sad nods in return.

“So, when my ship landed, you realised you had to play along,” said the Doctor. “Lest we realise that something was wrong and leave.”

“We thought you were here to rescue us at first,” said Francis. “We have heard of the CIA Agents and their time capsules, of course. Who hasn’t? We hoped...but then we realised that you were a Time Lord and you were here…”

“To get married,” nodded the Doctor and then sighed. “You could have just asked and we could have all left before the Autons could have taken my ship.”

The Jeskalonians looked a little embarrassed. “We weren’t certain if you would help us,” said Val, finally. “It is unheard of for Time Lords to marry, let alone marry a human. We were not sure of your motivations.”

“Be that as it may,” said the Doctor sternly, as if daring them to say a single word about his marriage to Rose. “I could have taken us all away. Now, we are all stuck here for all intents and purpose, not knowing what it is that the Nestene Consciousness is planning.”

“Doctor,” said Rose gently when she saw the crestfallen looks on the Jeskalonians’ faces.

The Doctor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright,” he said. “You said you were a research group. Do you have a lab I could use perhaps?”

“Yes,” said Val at once. “Of course.”

“Good,” he said. “I need to find their transmitter and if we are very lucky, you might even have some materials that I could use to make anti-plastic.”

“Anti-plastic?” asked Rose. “Really?”

“Don’t knock it, Rose,” he said, shooting her a mock glare. “It is highly effec-” His words were cut off when they heard a door slam open. 

“They’ve found us,” said Tessa in a terrified voice. 

“Shh,” said Francis as Val extinguished the lights in the basement. “There is a passageway under here. Come on now, all of you.”

Everyone scrambled towards the door in the wall that had been all but hidden by a large painting. The dark made it more difficult to see and no one wanted to make a loud noise. They finally managed to get through it and no one dared turn on a light source as they walked through the dark passageway. They walked for close to twenty minutes before finally emerging out into Francis’ office. 

The Doctor was one of the first people to climb out of the passageway and he quickly helped the rest of them out, waiting for Rose. But when Val emerged and there was no one else after her, his hearts went cold.

“Where is she?” he asked, his eyes blazing with anger. “Where is Rose?”

The Jeskalonians looked contrite. “I’m sorry, Doctor,” said Tessa finally. “The Autons seem to have taken her.”


	12. The Auton Invasion: Nestene Consciousness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be an interlude about the bonding/wedding night. Also, I will be updating this story on Wednesday instead of Tuesday from next week.

For the first time that day, Rose’s smile dimmed when she felt the cold plastic hands grasp her arms. She couldn’t believe she had got caught. The Doctor had gone in through the passageway first, and she had been helping the rest of the Jeskalonians, when she’d felt a hand over her mouth and she’d been pulled away before she’d had a chance to reach Val who was one of the last people to get into the entry of the passageway.

As the Autons led her out of the little pink cottage, Rose realised that evening had fallen over Gretna Green, or rather the asteroid they were on. She had to wonder if there was some sort of a projection that controlled the day/night cycle as well as the weather, since there was no sign of the storm anymore and evening had come far too quickly. Either way, she didn’t have much time to ponder on it, since the Autons marched her through the village until they got to the famous blacksmith’s anvil.

The white shop was just as Rose remembered from the pictures. However, the similarities ended on the outside and the inside was nothing like the famous blacksmiths shop of Gretna Green. The interior was mechanical, equipment arranged neatly in the old smithy. In place of the anvil was a large, sunken pit that was emanating orange heat from its depth. As Rose got closer, she realised that it wasn’t a furnace as she had originally thought, but contained a giant, bubbling orange creature.

“What the hell,” she murmured and flinched back when the creature hissed angrily at her. “Who are you then?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“You will speak to the Nestene Consciousness with respect,” said one of the Autons in the smithy, whom Rose recognised as a little old man who had congratulated her and the Doctor after their wedding. 

Unlike the Autons holding on to her and the ones around the smithy who looked like plastic mannequins, he looked almost human. The plastic-like quality of his face, however, was more obvious than ever in such close proximity and his hand had fallen open to point a gun at Rose. Rose hadn’t quite grasped it when Val had said the Autons had guns inside their hands, but she saw it all too well now.

The Consciousness bubbled angrily again, and Rose realised that she could catch a few words here and there, but it seemed that angry burbling wasn’t really enough of a language for the TARDIS to translate. The old man looked at Rose, as if expecting her to answer, but upon seeing her blank look, he rolled his eyes.

“Are you from Earth?” asked the old man.

“Why?” asked Rose, narrowing her eyes.

“Answer the question or the next time the Autons will break a limb,” he said calmly. “Now, are you from Earth?”

Rose registered the tight grip the Autons still had on her arms and nodded. “Yes,” she said.

“And you came with the time capsule?” asked the old man.

“Yes,” said Rose, wincing when the Autons tightened their grip because she had hesitated before answering.

“What do you know of our plans?” asked the old man, advancing on her. “Are the CIA Agents going to follow you shortly?”

That made her pause, and she shook her head. “It isn’t the CIA Agents you have to worry about,” she said, smirking at the old man. “It’s the Jeskalonians.”

The old man snorted in derision. “Those weaklings?”

“Those weaklings,” said Rose, narrowing her eyes in anger. “Are the ones who called us here in the first place.”

The proclamation made the old man stop and glance at the Nestene Consciousness. More angry burbles followed and the old man turned back to her. “How did they accomplish that?” he demanded. 

“You’d have to ask them that,” said Rose. “Point is, they are a lot smarter and resourceful than you give them credit for. They have a plan to stop you as we speak.”

The old man all but snarled at her furiously. “What are they planning?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” she said, resisting the urge to smirk. “It’s their plan and they had it all worked out long before we got here. I think part of it was to use one of us as a distraction.”

“You lie,” said the old man, no longer looking visibly angry, but his voice still shaking with rage.

“I have no reason to lie,” said Rose. “Today is not a day I want to die, believe me.”

The old man looked at the pit again and the Nestene Consciousness said something once again, which made him nod. Rose watched as the old man walked over to a circular disc set up amongst the equipment, and fiddled with it. It began to transmit waves, and the Autons holding Rose dropped their grip and turned and left, followed by the rest of the mannequin-like Autons. She wondered if she could make a break for it, but the old man turned around and pointed the gun in his hand at her.

“Do not move,” he said.

Rose held her hands up and he directed her to stand with her back to the transmitter. He himself stood in front of her and held the gun level with her heart. Rose could guess where the Autons were headed, but she knew a way of getting out of this.

All she needed was to get the old man to shoot her.

~

The Doctor was a man on a mission as he raided the Jeskalonians’ laboratory. He was initially uncertain about using anti-plastic but knowing that they had taken Rose was enough to quell any doubt that he might have had. The Jeskalonians stood quietly to the side as he worked like a man possessed. Any question he had would crack like a whip through the silence and they would hasten to answer as quickly as possible.

He was certain that Rose would have berated him for being unquestionably awful to the poor aliens who had been in this predicament for a long time and were depending on him for survival. But then the cold metal of his wedding band would serve as a reminder that Rose was not by his side, and if he didn’t find her soon, there was a chance of losing her forever. After the Guardians, two universes and the Time Lords, he refused to lose Rose to the Autons. Or anything else, for that matter.

“Working flame?” he asked sharply.

Val moved forward hesitantly and ignited the small pin-like nozzle, and a purple flame burst out through it. The Doctor readjusted his glasses, (glasses that Rose had adored, he couldn’t help but think with a pang) and held the test tube containing the viscous black liquid over the flame. The reaction was slow, but as the viscosity of the solution went down and the black liquid slowly morphed to a rich blue colour, a grim smile appeared on the Doctor’s face. 

“Is it done?” asked Dom, curiously.

“Almost,” said the Doctor, taking it off the flame and spraying the outside of the test tube with a clear solution from a tiny bottle. “Stopper?”

Val handed him one dutifully and he corked the end of the test tube and held it up to the light. 

“There,” he said, taking his glasses off and stuffing them inside his coat with the test tube. “That’s done it.”

“How do we find them?” asked Tessa.

“Well, you lot have been here a while,” said the Doctor. “Where do you think they can be?”

“They keep moving their base,” said Francis, shaking his head.

“The Nestene Consciousness isn’t a very mobile creature,” said the Doctor. “Is there any place where you are forbidden to enter?”

“We aren’t allowed anywhere except the houses belonging to our identities,” said Tessa.

The Doctor huffed in frustration. “Fine,” he said. “Bring me a frequency modulator and a…”

His words were cut off by a crash, as a group of Autons entered the house. This time, they came with their guns drawn and without any hesitation about shooting to kill.

“Stop,” the Doctor told the Jeskalonians, who were looking ready to bolt again, and raised his arms. “We surrender. Take us to your leader.”

The Jeskalonians looked terrified but at the Doctor’s imploring look, they followed his lead. The Autons didn’t speak, couldn’t with their mannequin faces, but as they made way for them to walk, the message was clear. 

With a nod, the Doctor and the Jeskalonians began to follow the Autons, with a few of them bringing up the rear.

~

Rose glanced around the smithy for a moment before looking back at the old man who was still pointing his gun at her. “So,” she said finally. “Where are the rest of the Autons we saw in the village? The ones who look more human and can talk and all.”

The old man didn’t say anything, but Rose had been in a situation like this more times than she could count. She knew that if she kept talking long enough, it usually annoyed her captor into responding. She suspected it was the Doctor’s influence.

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Rose brightly. “Those mannequin ones are really creepy and all, but I think we would have noticed them around the village.”

“It’s advanced programming,” snapped the old man finally. “It consumes time and energy to maintain the copy with all the human functions.”

“Oh,” said Rose, nodding in realisation. “So, once the sun goes down and the day is over, that lot with the faces and all decide to turn back into mannequins. I guess you needed them after the Jeskalonian numbers went down.”

The old man merely glared at her and Rose got her answer. “So,” she said. “Why do you still have yours?”

“I am their leader,” he said angrily.

“I thought Bubbles over there was the leader,” said Rose impudently, nodding towards the pit behind him.

The old man turned around briefly before snapping at Rose. “Stay silent,” he said, his voice no longer angry, but threatening nonetheless.

“What I still don’t get,” said Rose as if he hadn’t spoken. “Is why you are doing this in the first place. You can’t honestly expect to invade Earth by taking over Gretna Green, of all places. I mean, shouldn’t you invade and copy somewhere that is more settled than Gretna Green?”

“Humans come to this village from all over the planet,” said the old man, smirking nastily. “The Autons will be spread across Earth and we will invade the planet.”

“Yeah, you could do that, I suppose,” shrugged Rose. “Could have chosen Vegas, but I guess you didn’t have the resources.”

The old man all but snarled at her. “Stay silent,” he said again and Rose could have smiled at how easy it was to wind him up. 

She did wonder briefly if him having the human programming, as he called it, made him more susceptible to emotions too, or if it was the Nestene Consciousness’ thought control causing the reactions.

“Alright, no more talking,” nodded Rose and turned around to look at the equipment. “So, what’s all this?”

“Do not touch it,” he said.

Rose could have smiled if she wasn’t so focused, running her fingers over the instruments like a curious child. Behind her, she heard the old man yelling at her not to touch it but she continued until she heard the unmistakable sound of his gun gearing to fire. She didn’t stop her curious prodding, keeping a sharp look on his movements from the corner of her eye.

“I said, stop!” he shouted and finally fired.

Rose ducked expertly and the projectile hit the transmitter and the whole thing sparked violently. She ran out of the way quickly, as the old man looked aghast at having destroyed the transmitter, among other things.

He recovered faster than she expected him to, and he advanced on her, his gun pointed at her once more and Rose had no room to back away, lest she wanted to fall into the pit with the Nestene Consciousness. 

“You have no idea what you have done,” he snarled angrily. “Now it will be your turn to die.”

~

The Doctor and the Jeskalonians were being led towards the famous blacksmiths shop when they heard a gun fire. They jumped, but it was nothing compared to the Autons, who seemed to move jerkily for a few moments before falling to the ground and breaking into pieces.

“What just happened?” asked Val, as she and the rest of Jeskalonians stared at the Autons who were no longer functioning and had simply broken up.

The Doctor paid no mind to them, his hearts having gone cold when he’d heard the gun fire, and he ran into the shop, only to find Rose backed up against a pit with an Auton pointing a gun at her. He saw red in that moment and his sonic screwdriver moved quickly to disable the gun. 

The Auton looked shocked at his gun not firing, but he still possessed enough strength to push Rose into the pit. He moved to do just that, but Rose ducked under his arm and ran to the Doctor. The Auton had thrown himself at Rose with great force in his anger but when she ducked, he lost his balance and was sent sprawling over the edge into the pit with the Nestene Consciousness.

Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor, trying to calm her racing heart, and he was no better, hugging her tightly one moment and pulling away the next to kiss any part of her he could reach. 

The Jeskalonians ran into the shop a moment later and Val saw the pit. “The Nestene Consciousness,” she said.

The Doctor pulled out the anti-plastic from his coat and handed it to her. “It is your choice, Val,” he said, feeling a lot calmer now that he had Rose back in his arms. “You can question it, and have it reported to the proper authorities. Or, you can kill it.”

Val took the test tube with the blue anti-plastic and glanced at the other Jeskalonians. “Well?” she asked them.

“Kill it,” said Francis without hesitation. “It is a parasite that invades and consumes entire planets.”

“But we are not murderers,” protested Tessa.

“No, but they are,” said Francis, rounding on her. “Do you not remember how many of us they killed?”

“But if we kill them, are we then any better than them?” asked Dom.

“Dom’s right,” said Val. “There’s a radio in here. We can get in touch with the Shadow Proclamation. They can come here and make the arrest.”

Francis didn’t look too happy about it, but he nodded just the same as Dom went over to the radio to call the necessary authorities.

Val turned back to the Doctor and Rose and smiled. “Thank you, Doctor, Rose,” said Val. “We cannot be more grateful for your assistance.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Rose, returning her smile graciously. “We are only glad you can finally go home.”

“As are we,” nodded Francis. “It was an honour.”

“For us, as well,” said the Doctor, inclining his head politely. “I suppose you will be able to deal with the Shadow when they do come down.”

“We will,” nodded Val firmly. “The Nestene Consciousness will be punished. For its crimes against the Jeskalonians and their intention to cause harm to Earth.”

“Very well,” nodded the Doctor. “We shall take our leave then.”

Goodbyes were said, and the Doctor wrapped his arm around Rose’s waist as they left the shop and started to walk to where the TARDIS had been moved down the street by the Autons. 

“They’re nice in any universe,” murmured Rose, smiling to herself.

“Yes,” agreed the Doctor.

“What will happen to this asteroid?” asked Rose, looking at him. “Will the copy of the village still hold?”

“I assume the Shadow Proclamation will clean up here,” said the Doctor. “It will be gone soon enough. Definitely before one of the probes discover it.”

“Take your word for it,” said Rose, grinning brightly. “Come on then, you still owe me a bonding ceremony.”

“Shouldn’t we go to Earth first?” asked the Doctor as they stood in front of the TARDIS but didn’t enter. “To the real Gretna Green to get married?”

Rose’s eyes softened and she leaned forward and kissed his mouth. “No,” she said, resting her forehead against his. “Our wedding was real to me. The vows, the rings, the piece of paper, everything. I meant it. Didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” he said at once. “But Rose,” he tried to protest but she cut him off by placing her finger on his lips. 

“Doctor,” she said seriously, pulling away to look him in the eye. “All I want now, is for my husband to take me back to the TARDIS and complete our bonding. And then...then, we shall see about that year-long honeymoon that you have so carefully planned for us,” she added with a wink.

The Doctor kissed the finger that was resting against his lips before pulling Rose into his arms. “Say that again,” he said, his eyes smouldering in a way that made Rose blush.

“Which part?” asked Rose, having a very good idea what he was talking about.

“You know which part, my lovely wife,” he said.

“I said I wanted my husband to…” Rose’s words were cut off by her squeal when the Doctor picked her up in his arms. “What are you doing?” she asked, unable to stop her giggles as he carried her into the TARDIS.

“Carrying my bride over the threshold,” he said. “Isn’t that how the tradition goes?”

The doors closed behind them and moments later, the TARDIS dematerialised from the asteroid, the familiar wheezing sound mingled with the laughter of the newlyweds inside.

~

The TARDIS landed and Fitz looked at the Valeyard questioningly. “Where are we now?” he asked. “It looks like London,” he added, observing the screen.

“It _is_ London,” nodded the Valeyard. “Not yours, I’m afraid. This is the London that Rose is from.”

Fitz’s brow furrowed. “Why are we here?” he asked.

The Valeyard smiled, his blank blue eyes remaining unchanged as ever. “We are here to meet someone special,” he said. “Brace yourself, Fitz Kreiner. You are about to meet Jackie Tyler.”


	13. Interlude: At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing, but I am back now. I also have a wonderful new beta, [Vampiyaa](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampiyaa/pseuds/Vampiyaa), who has been very lovely in helping me.
> 
> This chapter is NSFW.

The Doctor set his bride down on the chaise in the console room, and kissed the tip of her nose before returning to the console. Rose looked at him in slight confusion.

“Thought we had dematerialised already,” she said.

“We have,” he nodded and then shot her a warm smile. “I am just setting the coordinates for our next destination.”

“Which is?” asked Rose, raising an eyebrow even as her lips twitched in amusement at his enthusiasm.

“A surprise,” he said and pulled the lever before walking up to her. “May I?” he asked, kneeling before her.

Rose nodded back wordlessly, and he smiled at her as he carefully took off both her shoes and set them aside. Getting to his feet, he walked around her and removed the comb from her hair. Gently, he parted her hair from her shoulders to remove her earrings one at a time, before placing a small kiss to her neck. Rose shuddered at his gentle ministrations, her eyes closing of their own accord.

She heard the rustle of fabric behind her and turned around to see the Doctor discarding his coat, waistcoat and cravat, leaving him in only his shirt and trousers. He stepped out of his shoes and held his hand out to her. Rose placed her hand in his without hesitation and let him pull her to her feet. She was surprised when he took her towards the doors of the TARDIS rather than the inside, but he merely smiled at her and made her stand facing the doors before opening them slowly.

Rose would have gasped if she hadn’t been struck speechless at the sight before her. She was looking at black open space, at the centre of which was a magnificent array of stars shaped exactly like a rose. The stars shone a bright white, with gentle lines of yellow and pink laced through them, and Rose had honestly never seen anything more beautiful.

“It’s a galaxy,” said the Doctor, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I admit I cheated a little, since I knew that a cluster of similar galaxies exist in our original universe called the rose galaxies, which is where I got the idea from. This universe didn’t have them, so I…”

“H-Hold on,” interrupted Rose, turning her head away from the wondrous sight to look at her husband. “You made this?”

He nodded. “The TARDIS helped with most of the calculations, and I know we can’t visit it just yet, but I understand that it is tradition to present a gift to your bride on the wedding day.”

Rose’s eyes went even wider at that. “I don’t have anything for you,” she blurted out, a deep flush crawling up her neck. He had made an entire galaxy shaped like her namesake as a wedding gift. Rose wondered how any gift she could give him could possibly come close to that. 

The Doctor smiled slowly and ran his knuckles gently over the curve of her cheek. “My sweet Rose,” he murmured, with such affection that it made her breath catch. “You are giving me a gift more precious than the stars. Quite literally,” he added and chuckled when she smiled at that. He turned her around in his arms so he could hold her gaze. “You are promising your life to me, Rose,” he said seriously. “Your life, your heart, your body...and your mind. A thousand galaxies pale in comparison to that.”

Rose didn’t know how she could possibly respond to that, so she chose to kiss him instead, coaxing his mouth open with her tongue and trying to pour every bit of emotion she was feeling into that kiss. The Doctor smiled as he kissed her back, and brushed his nose against hers when she had to pull away for breath.

“Does that mean you like it?” he asked.

“Shut up,” she replied, and kissed him again. “You made me a galaxy,” she repeated once again, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. “You can’t have done it just last night.”

“I was motivated,” he shrugged, smiling at the wide-eyed look on her face. “Shall we?” he asked, taking her hand in his and running his fingers over the TARDIS blue cloth tied around her wrist.

Rose nodded and the Doctor gently loosened the knot so that the cloth came free from her wrist. He kissed her wrist once it was bared and then led her into the depths of the TARDIS until they came to the Cloister room. Rose couldn’t help the shiver that shot up her spine; her memories of this room were far from pleasant.

The Doctor paused when he felt her shiver. “We could go somewhere else,” he murmured. “But I thought we could make pleasant memories here for a change.”

Rose met his gaze and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed, and he smiled as he led her up the stairs to stand right underneath the stained glass window. The light filtering from it was muted but when the two of them stood under it, it seemed to brighten just a little more.

“Normally,” said the Doctor in a hushed voice, “the ceremony would begin with permission from your parents.” He held out his hand to her. “I asked Jackie for hers.”

Rose’s eyes went wide and she nearly jumped as she felt his mind touch hers briefly when she placed her hand in his. They had done it a few times since she had accepted the bond, just fleeting touches and absolutely not when they’d been making love, but she adored the feeling entirely. This time, however, it wasn’t the usual affection and love that she felt with the brush of his mind, but her mother’s voice saying ‘I consent and gladly give’ as clearly as if she were in the room with them.

Her eyes filled with tears and the Doctor rescinded the touch carefully, and with great reluctance, she thought as she smiled at him gratefully. He still held the blue cloth in his other hand, and Rose moved in closer when he brought the cloth to wrap around their wrists. She had to help him tie it since he couldn’t do it one-handed, and the only sounds they could hear were their own breaths and the gentle rustle of the cloth. When the cloth had been tied securely, the Doctor briefly linked the fingers of their bound hands and squeezed her hand.

“My dearest lady Rose Marion Tyler, may I please approach you?”

“You may, my lord Doctor,” said Rose, hoping she remembered the ceremony properly from what he had told her. It had all sounded rather pompous when he had described it, but the tender look in his eyes when he spoke took away any pretentiousness that the ceremony might have had before.

“I thank you for this honour to allow me to bond with you, my lady Rose Marion Tyler,” he said sincerely, his eyes never wavering from hers. “I will beg your forgiveness for initiating this bond without your permission, and I shall endeavour to spend the rest of our lives earning your love and your trust, if you shall let me.”

“You are forgiven, my lord Doctor,” said Rose, her eyes softening.

He bowed his head gratefully before looking back up at her. “Your forgiveness allays my disquiet, my lady Rose Marion Tyler,” he said, and the light above their heads brightened considerably. 

Rose took a deep breath as she realised what came after this, feeling heartened when the Doctor smiled encouragingly at her. “My lord Doctor,” she began. “I have chosen to accept your bond, and to promise my love and my life to you. I invite you into my mind and my heart, to see all that I was, all that I am, and all that I ever will be.”

“I am honoured,” he said, his voice full of awe. “May I touch you?”

Rose nodded, before realising that she had to respond verbally. “You may, my lord Doctor,” she said, and did her best to keep her eyes open when the Doctor placed his free hand on the curve of her cheek briefly before touching his fingers to her temple. She felt the familiar tingling she had felt when she had accepted the bond, but unlike that time, she didn’t envision them in a different place. 

The Doctor’s presence was quiet, almost awed as he entered her mind, soaking up the opportunity as if unable to believe that he really had permission. He had told Rose that she could hide any memories that she didn’t wish for him to see, but Rose didn’t hold back, throwing her mind open as best as she could, wanting him to understand her love and the trust she had in him. He moved through her mind like a cool evening breeze in summer, and Rose’s eyes had fallen shut a while ago, but she was brought back to the present by a gentle squeeze to her hand bound with the Doctor’s.

She was surprised to see the tears on the Doctor’s face when she opened her eyes, and she had never seen him so unburdened before. The shadows, the responsibilities, the worries...they all seemed to have been lost in the far reaches of his soul, and the look on his face was one that Rose would never forget. She had always thought that opening her mind would be embarrassing, painful, even disappointing if there was something in there that he didn’t like, but all those insecurities seemed trivial in the face of the unbridled joy and wonder she saw now.

“You have made me ecstatic, my lady Rose Marion Tyler,” he said, his voice trembling as he lowered his hand from her temple. “I offer you the same in return. My mind, my hearts, my life in your hands. Everything that I was, what I am now, and whatever I shall become in the future.”

He bowed his head in submission, and Rose raised a trembling hand to touch his cheek briefly, just as he had, before placing her fingers on his temple. It wasn’t just submission in his posture, she realised, when she felt herself slip into his mind with ease and found no barriers. She had expected it to be chaotic — more than a thousand years of memories was nothing to scoff at — and she was not disappointed as she felt like her senses had overloaded with sounds and bright lights for a brief moment before they quieted down. It started like a gentle song at first, like a pianist checking the keys before a rehearsal, until the melody filled her mind.

Different faces, different voices, people he had cared for, people who had cared for him, friends, foes, lovers, executioners…she saw them all. The memories of a young boy on Gallifrey wove themselves into a song until it encompassed all his lives, until she reached the end and looked into the face of the man she was bonding with. The seven faces that came before him were quiet, almost impassive as they gazed at her, but they each bowed to her and vanished into the tapestry, their own way of telling her of their acceptance of this bond. She looked back into his eighth face, before catching a fleeting glance of the faces that came after him. The images were blurred, the sounds muted, and she forgot those faces a moment after she had seen them, but they were back into the tapestry, and Rose realised that she was at the end of her journey.

It took her a few moments to open her eyes and steady herself, her mind scrambling to catalogue everything she had learned from her bond mate’s mind. He had intertwined their bound hands and was looking a little worried, which cleared when she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Unlike him, there were no tears in her eyes for the first time that day, but her smile was so wide that her cheeks would surely be sore the next day.

“Thank you, my lord Doctor,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “I shall hold your mind, your hearts, and your life, just as I hope you shall hold mine.”

“I will,” he promised fervently. “And now, I offer you my final secret. My name, known only to you. Now, and forever.”

Rose’s eyes went wide. He had conveniently not told her about that part of the ceremony, but caught up as she was, she couldn’t muster up enough annoyance at him. She merely nodded and bent her head towards him, shivering when his lips touched her ear and a string of lilting syllables flew from his mouth until they had wrapped around her mind. Heart thudding, knees shaking and mouth trembling, Rose stared at him in wonder as his name resonated within her mind, the mere meeting of their minds becoming stronger and stronger until they were kissing…kissing and not stopping, not even when they were all but bathed in the golden light shining above them. The cloth around their wrists came loose as they scrambled to touch each other, finally just unfurling and falling at their feet.

The bond had gone from a sweet declaration of love and a formal ceremony to something possessive, almost primal. The bond demanded completion, the Doctor and Rose needed their minds and their bodies to touch urgently and complete their bond, until they were one mind, one soul. Rose had some memory of being lifted into the Doctor’s arms, but she had her lips all but fused to his and with the way his name was still echoing in her mind, she didn’t want to part from him, not even for a moment.

His mind was touching hers now, not just fleeting touches, but waves upon waves of love and longing were washing over her and pouring into her mind, and she was doing her best to reciprocate, pouring everything she felt into his mind. A blast of warm air told her that they had left the cold Cloister room and she opened her eyes, surprised to see the Doctor gazing at her with dark eyes.

“Rose,” he growled before he latched his mouth to the skin of her neck, his lips sucking harshly at the soft skin, leaving a blatant mark.

Rose arched towards him without hesitation, her mind reaching to him in conjunction with her body, the pleasure intensifying for both of them at the action. “Doctor,” she cried out, though she was unsure if she had vocalised it or merely shouted it in her mind, but it didn’t matter when the Doctor led them down the corridor and towards the first open door that they came across.

It was the same room that Rose had got ready in that morning, but gone was the mirror and the vanity, leaving the room considerably bigger than before. A fresh bath had been drawn, the candles were lit again, and apart from the Victorian chaise lounge, there was also a large four-poster bed with dark red and gold bedding on the far end of the room.

The Doctor decided that the bed was too far away and set Rose down on the chaise lounge, and was upon her immediately, kissing her deeply, as if trying to devour her from the inside out. When she pulled away to breathe, he slid down her body until he was near her feet, and pushed her wedding dress up until her white stocking-clad legs were visible, as were the garter belts. The Doctor’s urgency slowed down a little at the sight. He bent down and ran his tongue over her bare thigh next to the garter belt and used his teeth to pull the belt away briefly before it snapped back into place. Rose’s moan was absurdly loud, her urgency not having slowed down at all, and the Doctor’s grin was almost feral, as he unclipped the garter belt and kissed his way around her bare thigh until Rose’s legs started to tremble. He repeated the process on her other leg and then gently rolled the stockings down, kissing every inch of the skin that was revealed. 

By the time he had got both of her legs bared, Rose had been reduced to mere moans and gasps of pleasure. She tried to reach for him, not in the mood for his teasing. There would be time for slow later. Right now, she just _needed_. The Doctor firmly stayed right where he was and removed the lacy, white knickers Rose was wearing and tossed them behind him. Rose gasped and opened her legs wider as the Doctor all but disappeared under the long skirt of her gown and started planting kisses over her inner thighs. At the first touch of his tongue against her folds, Rose felt a spike of pleasure unlike anything she had ever felt, and it took her a moment to realise that she was feeling not just her own pleasure, but the Doctor’s as well through the mental bond. The bond was well on its way to being completed, but as the Doctor systematically brought her closer and closer to the brink with his mouth and fingers, the primal nature of the bond simmered down a little, and the gentle passion from the ceremony returned to them.

A loud cry of pleasure left Rose’s mouth followed by the Doctor’s name, his real name, and the orgasm that crashed through her left her feeling as if every nerve in her body was electric, crackling wildly with energy and pure passion that ignited her mind and her body as it never had before. The Doctor emerged from under the skirt of her dress looking absurdly pleased with himself and Rose kissed him deeply, moaning at the taste of herself on his tongue. She got his shirt unbuttoned as they kissed, and the Doctor helpfully unbuttoned his trousers and started to push them off his hips. The Doctor’s clothes hit the floor and he pulled Rose up to stand from the chaise lounge and turned her around to get her wedding gown off her. 

“There’s a zipper under the buttons,” she told him helpfully and he lowered the little hidden zipper, and Rose slid the capped sleeves down her arms, and the dress fell to the floor in a swoop of lace and silk. The back had been too low to wear a bra, and the Doctor grinned at the bare beauty of his wife as they stood before each other without any clothing between them. Rose held out her hand to him, aware that he was still fully aroused, while she was still riding high from her first orgasm. She did pause briefly to pick up her wedding gown and place it carefully on the chaise lounge, an action that brought an amused smile to the Doctor’s face as he placed his hand in hers and let her lead him towards the bath.

She let him enter the bath first and climbed in after him, choosing to straddle him instead of sitting with her back against his chest. The water lapped around her breasts, and a few rose petals that had been floating on the water got stuck to her pink skin, the lovely sight increasing the Doctor’s arousal sharply. Rose kissed him briefly before pulling away to put her hair up in a bun so it wouldn’t get wet. He could hardly hold himself back from touching her, and ran his fingers over her nipples, smiling when they pearled under his touch. The urgency seemed to have returned in full force, and Rose gasped when she felt it yet again. With great effort, she removed the Doctor’s hands from her breasts, ignoring his protest as she reached between them to grasp his cock in her hand.

The Doctor gasped and let his head fall back against the rim of the bath, and Rose stroked him slowly, keeping her mouth busy on his neck. She was tempted to settle herself down on top of him fully and take him inside her but she stayed on her knees and continued to stroke him, bringing him closer to oblivion. She revelled in the pleasure she could feel through the bond, not to mention the longing the Doctor was feeling about needing to touch her. She removed her mouth from his neck and encouraged his head towards her breasts with a gentle touch of her mind, and he grinned at her widely before wrapping his lips around a nipple and sucking sharply. The angle was slightly awkward but as Rose stroked him faster, the Doctor let his head loll into her bosom, and gave himself to the pleasure as his orgasm slowly built up.

“Are you close?” Rose murmured into his ear, out of habit more than anything.

He nodded and reluctantly stopped her from bringing him to completion. Rose made a noise of protest, but he pulled her onto his lap, hissing when his erection got trapped between their bodies. Rose shifted lightly and he held onto her hips, biting back his moans. “Rose,” he groaned. “You have to slow down, precious girl, or I’m not going to last.”

Rose looked a little surprised, but stopped shifting on his lap. “Because of the bond?” she guessed, realising for the first time how much her senses felt heightened.

He chuckled and brushed his nose against hers. “You manage to do that even without the bond, Rose,” he said. “But yes, the bond is making everything…”

“Intense,” finished Rose and he nodded.

“I want to make sure you are not in any pain,” he said, the lust in his eyes taking a backseat to concern. 

Rose smiled at his concern and lifted his left hand to kiss his ring. “No pain,” she said. “Well, unless you count not being able to have you inside me right now.”

He groaned lightly and shifted his hips under her. “Rose, I mean it,” he said, with great effort. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Rose’s eyes softened and her cheeky smile became impossibly tender. “You are not hurting me, Doctor,” she said and stood up in the bath. The Doctor’s eyes were wide as he watched the water sluice off her pink skin. “Come with me,” said Rose, offering him her hand.

The Doctor took her hand and the two of them climbed out of the bath together. A neat bundle of towels had been left next to the bathmat, and the Doctor merely stood transfixed when Rose picked one of them up and started to dry him off. The action was so gentle, that the Doctor had to physically hold himself back from reaching for her and kissing her. Rose had a little smile on her lips as she finished drying him off and used another to dry herself. The Doctor waited patiently until she was done, happy to follow her lead. When she tossed the towel off and took his hand again, the Doctor found out that he couldn’t wait a moment longer before he kissed her, and he smiled at Rose’s squeak of surprise against his lips. She returned the kiss fervently and the Doctor took the chance to loosen the messy knot her hair had been in so he could tangle his fingers in her blonde tresses.

Rose broke the kiss with a gasp and pulled him towards the bed, where he was all too eager to go. He carried Rose for the last few steps between them and the bed, and laid her down on the silk covers as gently as possible before joining her. Rose kissed him this time, rolling onto her back and pulling him on top, her mind reaching for his in an almost involuntary gesture. This was what it had been all leading to, the wedding, the bonding ceremony…just everything, really. The moment where they would be joined, in body and in mind, to complete their bond.

The Doctor kissed his way down her throat, down the valley of her breasts, and back up again before meeting her gaze in question. Rose shifted her hips against his in response, and the Doctor pushed into her slowly, swallowing her moan into his kiss.

“Rose,” he whispered. “Open your eyes, please.”

Rose’s eyes had fallen shut when she had felt the Doctor inside her, but at his words, she hastened to open her eyes. She nearly closed them again when she saw the darkened tone of the Doctor’s eyes, and it took a purely telepathic plea from him to make her keep her eyes open. He smiled encouragingly at her, and Rose felt him lowering his defences. The cool breeze in her mind from the ceremony was like a storm inside her now, and her own mind unfurled in response, wanting to join, to complete…

_Threads_ , she heard the Doctor say. _Threads weaving a tapestry._

They were moving now, bodies in a well-practiced rhythm, joined as intimately as they could ever be. The pure telepathic joining of their minds almost completely dwarfed the physical sensations.

It wasn’t completion as Rose had envisioned it when the Doctor had told her about it. Completion implied that they had somehow been incomplete before this bond, which wasn’t the case with either of them. They had been complete on their own, but together they were somehow more. More than a human, more than a Time Lord, more than lovers, more than friends, more than…just more.

_A tapestry_ , the Doctor repeated and Rose realised that he was so very right in calling it that. The threads were weaving between them…binding but not restricting, tangling but not knotting. A smooth embroidery of minds, of times past, present and future, of hearts and bodies in sync, until there was oblivion…

When they came back to each other, it was with awed smiles and teary eyes. The bond stayed completed, glowing brilliantly between them, before slotting into their minds perfectly like it was second nature. The Doctor was the first to move, falling onto his back and pulling Rose into his side.

“I love you,” said Rose, the bond flaring to life with her words.

“Oh, Rose Tyler,” said the Doctor, brushing his fingers over her cheek. “I do love you so much.”

“Yeah?” she asked, nuzzling his chest between his hearts.

“Yes,” he said firmly, kissing her hair. He carefully probed the bond to see if his wife and bond mate was suffering from any discomfort as a result of the bond, and received nothing but uninhibited happiness from her. 

“Stop worrying,” murmured Rose into his chest, having felt his worry.

“I can’t help it,” he said. “I am going to be overprotective and far too attentive over the next few days, my lovely Rose. You are just going to have to deal with it.”

Rose looked up at him and grinned in delight when she caught a few glimpses of what he meant when he said ‘attentive’. “Why wait until then?” she asked, raising her eyebrows challengingly. “You could start right now.”

The Doctor merely smirked at her and slid down her body until he could settle between her legs. “I hope you weren’t planning on sleeping tonight,” he said.

Rose winked at him and returned his smirk. “I was absolutely not planning on it.”


	14. The Eternity Doctors: Time Stands Still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Vampiyaa for the beta. Apologies to everyone in advance.

“...and then of course, Rassilon had to fix the whole thing.”

Rose giggled and sipped her glass of wine, cuddling closer to the Doctor who tightened his grip on her. The lazy heat of the Fijian sun was doing a splendid job of relaxing them both, and the picnic that the Doctor had set up for them on the beach was just marvellous.

“So, it was Borusa all along?” she asked, accepting a bite of the strawberry he held up to her lips.

“Mmm yes,” nodded the Doctor, finishing off the rest of the strawberry himself. “It was a shame. I quite admired the man.”

“Five of you in one place. Can’t imagine the snark flying about,” she laughed.

“Four of me, technically,” he corrected. “One of me was stuck…”

“...in the vortex yeah,” nodded Rose, remembering the earlier part of the story. She shook her head slightly. “Sometimes conversations with you just go mental.”

“But don’t you just love it?” he teased, with a kiss to her nose.

“Oh, I do,” she giggled as she tilted her head up to capture his lips with hers. 

Rose had been certain that the Doctor had been joking about having planned a year’s worth of honeymoon, but nearly seven months after their wedding and bonding, he still hadn’t run out of places for them to go. He steered them clear of trouble and Rose could count on one hand when they had been in peril during these seven months that didn’t involve sunburn or public displays of affection. Who knew they were so prudish in that fifty-year window in the middle of the 34th century?

All that said, Rose wouldn’t change a single moment of it. The two of them had always been close, but with their bond complete and strong between them, the closeness had acquired a form of intimacy all on its own. Not just in terms of physical intimacy, though there had been plenty of that as well. Now that their minds were open to one another, they were discovering new and varied ways of making love. Rose had been surprised, to say the least, when she’d discovered all the things her Doctor’s impressive brain could come up with, and how much she enjoyed exploring that aspect of their relationship with him. The Doctor was an attentive lover, gentle and quite sweet, but she had also discovered since their bonding that he could be rough, possessive and very, very creative, when he put his mind to it. The thought of the night before sent a pleasant shiver through Rose and the Doctor broke the kiss with a grin.

“Liked that, did you?” he asked, eyes twinkling mischievously.

“You know I did,” said Rose, closing her eyes when he grasped her wrists and kissed the light chafe marks left over her delicate skin.

They had been in Fiji for about a week, and the night before would forever remain one of Rose’s favourite moments in their honeymoon. She was still more than a bit sore from it all, but it was the pleasant kind of burn. The Doctor had woken her up that morning with gentle caresses, followed by a warm swim in the ocean. When she had emerged out of the water, she had found the Doctor reclining against a bunch of cushions placed generously on a picnic rug on the beach under some palm trees. There had been fruits, sparkling pink wine from a planet Rose couldn’t name if you asked, and cheeses almost overflowing from the bigger-on-the-inside basket that sat next to him. Rose had been delighted.

As they kissed now, the Doctor pried away her glass of wine so that they could both have their hands free. Rose surrendered easily, tangling her newly freed hand in his hair instead. 

“How fond are you of this dress?” he asked breathlessly, running his lips over the thin strap of her pink cotton sundress.

“Very,” laughed Rose, arching towards him as he kissed his way down her body. “Don’t tear it.”

He looked up at her with what could very well be called a pout, but moved back up so he could kiss her mouth instead. “Let me in?” he whispered against her lips and Rose smiled as she lowered her barriers.

It had taken her some time to master it, and she suspected the Doctor had a lot of fun when she inadvertently slipped up and let a graphic thought pass through their bond, but she could finally raise and lower her mental barriers at will. Usually, she just kept a frail shield up, because she loved it when their minds brushed against each other, and it made the Doctor unbelievably happy. They could completely shut each other out if they wanted, but Rose didn’t think she would ever use that one. Even the few moments when the Doctor had been teaching her that were agonising. 

She had never been overtly comfortable with telepathy, but that had changed almost completely now. One of the things that endeared her to open her mind so willingly was simply how much the Doctor loved the contact. He was a telepathic being, and for him, sharing his mind with her was more intimate than any physical contact they could ever have, including having sex. Not that he didn’t like or even enjoy sex, but there would be moments when the two of them would simply cuddle together, their minds tightly intertwined with each other, no barriers or shields in sight. If anyone had told Rose she could be this intimate with someone while fully dressed, she would have laughed.

Of course, the truly spectacular moments happened when they were joined in both mind and body completely. It was an overwhelming feeling and somehow that impact was never reduced, no matter how many times they did that. In all fairness, they didn’t do it often, since it really was quite overwhelming, and Rose knew that there were times when they would be so lost in each other that they would stay that way forever and forget about the universe entirely. 

“Aren’t you distracted this morning?” murmured the Doctor, running his fingers through her hair.

“Someone kept me up half the night,” she teased him. “Forgive me, if I can’t focus.”

The Doctor laughed at her cheeky tone and rolled on top of her, but his foot kicked the uncorked bottle of wine, sending the crimson liquid spilling over the numerous cushions, staining them all a dark pink.

Rose giggled as they jumped up from the ruined picnic blanket before the wine had a chance to soak through their clothes. “Don’t suppose you brought something to clean up with,” said Rose.

The Doctor laughed and shook a finger in her direction. “I’ll deal with it,” he said, already jogging to the TARDIS. “You, my goddess, stay right there. I am far from done with you.”

Rose blew him a kiss and he winked back as he went inside the TARDIS. Rose stretched a little and put her shoes back on. Her hair was almost dry, so she tied it into a ponytail, making a note to tell the Doctor to have their next destination be a place with a good salon. 

The sun was getting too hot and Rose decided to go and join her husband in the TARDIS. She had just started towards the blue box parked just a little ways off the beach, when the Doctor returned and frowned comically upon seeing that she had moved.

“Oh, stop it,” she said, kissing his cheek as she walked by. “It’s too hot.”

“The water will be cool,” he said, snagging an arm around her waist and stopping her from returning to the TARDIS. 

“So will a bed,” she teased back, throwing her head back as he nipped at her pulse point.

“But the bed is all the way back in the TARDIS,” he complained against her neck. “We have a perfectly good picnic blanket just over there.”

“A perfectly good picnic blanket that is now drenched in wine?” laughed Rose.

“Hardly the first time we would have a little wine on us,” he said, eyes smouldering significantly at her.

Rose blushed at that look and let him carry her back to the picnic blanket. The sun had nearly dried the spilled wine, but Rose quickly jumped out of his arms and guided him onto the picnic blanket before straddling him. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she just smiled as she placed a kiss at his throat and slowly kissed her way down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as she did. She was nearing his trousers when something went wrong.

The air crackled with temporal energy, giving the Doctor a painful headache and making him cry out in pain. He sat up quickly, his vision spinning as white spots appeared behind his eyes and nearly made him pass out.

“Rose!” he shouted, realising that the warm, comforting weight of his wife on top of him was suddenly gone, leaving him feeling cold and dizzy. “ROSE!”

His vision cleared slowly and he realised that Rose was no longer around and he scrambled to his feet, looking around the beach for signs of her. The air was thick with the scent of the vortex, the ozone-like smell feeling pungent and wrong. His mind scrambled for her, but all he got in return were fading traces of her mental signature. With a cry, he quickly put his shields up before he lost control. 

It took him a moment to steady his shaking hands enough to rifle through his coat pockets for the sonic screwdriver, but he knew the results even before he saw them. The scent of the vortex in this form only happened around a person when something about their creation had changed irrevocably. Something had changed so profoundly in Rose’s life that the universe had not been able to compensate around it, and had thrown her existence into jeopardy. 

The Doctor ran back to the TARDIS, his hearts feeling like they were out of sync due to the sheer terror filling every pore of his being. Rose was the bride of a Time Lord, sharing a bond that was strong enough to be as resilient as any fixed point. To have her disappear from his arms meant that it wasn’t just an accident or coincidence. Someone had deliberately used a temporal weapon to that effect.

He slammed open the doors of the TARDIS but to his utter surprise, he found that the interior was no longer the gothic console room. Instead, it was all glasses and sharp exteriors and there was a man standing at the controls, surprise evident on his youthful face. The Doctor was just as shocked to see him, but a quick glance at his floppy brown hair, too-big chin and the odd combination of a tweed jacket and red bowtie confirmed what his instinct had already told him.

It was him. A future him.

~

The incident did not go undetected by the Time Lords on Gallifrey and within minutes, a small group of technicians, Coordinator Narvin and President Romana had assembled inside a control room and were trying to rectify the situation.

“We cannot learn where the initial breach has occurred,” said Narvin in frustration. “We should have stopped him.” He aimed that last one at the President, who rolled her eyes.

“The Doctor is entitled to bond with whomever he wishes, Coordinator Narvin,” she said firmly.

Narvin grumbled under his breath but didn’t say more. “Well, he has already met one of his future versions,” he said, looking at the technicians hard at work.

“And Miss Tyler?” asked Romana.

“Apparently, she is on a Cybermen spaceship,” he said. “A very inconvenient situation, no doubt.”

“Find the closest incarnation of the Doctor and divert him to her location,” ordered Romana tersely. “She has to stay alive at all costs, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Madam President,” said Narvin. 

“Do you really?” she asked and Narvin shot her an indignant look.

“Her existence is far too complicated,” he said. “If she were to no longer exist, two universes would be in jeopardy, one of which is the very universe where we reside. Of course I will do everything in my power to ensure that it does not happen.”

Romana knew that it was the best she would get from Narvin, so she nodded shortly. “Where are we on getting one of the Doctors to Rose?” she asked.

“His third incarnation will be the easiest to reach for,” said Narvin. “With your permission…”

“Do it,” ordered Romana, and Narvin nodded at the technician to go ahead.

~

Rose’s head felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton wool. One moment she had been on top of the Doctor on a beach in Fiji and the next, she was inside what appeared to be a holding cell of a spaceship. The air was draughty and there was a curious absence of sound, but the ringing in her ears more than made up for it. She leaned against the wall and pressed her feverishly hot forehead against the cold wall of the cell, trying to focus enough to find out what had happened.

She had only just gotten her breathing under control when her cell door opened and a humanoid man was pushed into the cell, the door slamming shut behind him. The dim light in the cell made it difficult for Rose to see who it was and all she could really tell was that he was taller than her. He seemed to be able to see just fine though and approached her slowly.

“Rose?”

She jumped, both at her name and the familiar voice that said it. “D-Doctor?” she asked, reaching her hands out in front of her, feeling relieved when she felt the frilly shirt that his third incarnation had worn under her hand. “Oh god,” she gasped in relief and hugged him.

He held her to his chest tightly. “Well, this explains why the TARDIS brought me here,” he said, patting her back lightly.

“Something’s gone wrong, hasn’t it?” she guessed, trying to see his face. 

A moment later, the light in the cell brightened and the Doctor nodded in satisfaction as he lowered his sonic screwdriver. “There, that’s better, isn’t it?” he asked, smiling back when she nodded. “Yes, something has indeed gone wrong. Unfortunately, it is too soon to know exactly what has happened.”

“But how did I get here?” asked Rose in confusion. “I was on Earth.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “My TARDIS changed course and brought me onto this Cybermen ship…”

“Cybermen?” hissed Rose.

“Yes, apparently it’s in orbit around Earth. They built a transmat in some shop in London,” he said. “I was tracking their signal when the TARDIS brought me here directly.”

Rose opened her mouth and shut it again, looking at him in shock. “What year is this?” she asked finally.

“2005, of course,” he said. “I think it might be March but I am not very sure about the date.”

Rose went pale. “B-but that’s how we met,” she said, looking at him with wide eyes. She looked at her surroundings and recognised them as the very same cell where she and the Doctor had first been locked up in together. 

The Doctor’s third incarnation was looking at her in shock. “How can that be?” he asked.

Rose started to shake her head but the cell door slammed open and a group of Cybermen stepped inside the cell. The Doctor moved Rose behind him and stood up straight, glaring at the Cybermen. 

"Step away from the Earthling," said the Cybermen warningly.

"Not a chance," said the Doctor calmly, yet with an undercurrent of rage. Rose couldn’t help but feel terrified at the unnervingly similar situation.

They paid him no mind and raised their weapon arm towards Rose in unison. The Doctor tried to block Rose from their view but a swipe from their arm sent him crashing to the other side of the cell.

“DOCTOR!” shouted Rose but the Cybermen advanced on her before she could move.

“YOU WILL BE DESTROYED,” was all she heard before pain pierced her chest and blackness took over.

The Doctor yelled as Rose crumpled to the floor. He scrambled over to her and checked for a pulse, feeling terrified when he couldn’t find one. The Cybermen left the cell without paying him any attention and the Doctor could only stare in horror at Rose’s lifeless body. 

He waited for something to happen — he didn’t even know what he was waiting for — but Rose stayed dead and with grief in his hearts, the Doctor clutched her to him and began to sob.


	15. The Eternity Doctors: Chop and Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late chapter. A huge thanks to Vampiyaa for the quick beta.

“What happened?” asked Romana, staring at the monitor in astonishment.

Narvin looked equally shocked. “She is dead,” he said, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. “We have to start fortifying for a shockwave of changing timelines,” he said abruptly, jumping into the Coordinator mode at once. 

“Oh, shut up, Narvin,” snapped Romana, as she sat down in her chair shakily. 

Narvin looked irritated but smoothed his face into a neutral mask. “Madam President, I realise you held some affection for Miss Tyler but now is not the time to…”

“She is not dead,” interrupted CIA Agent Josie Kilburn. “Her energy signature has popped up yet again.”

“What?” asked Romana as she and Narvin quickly turned to the monitor. 

“Locate her,” ordered Narvin urgently.

“This isn’t possible,” said Josie, looking confused. “She’s on Europa.”

“And why would that not be possible, Agent Kilburn?” asked Narvin.

“Because it is the same time when we were sent to apprehend the Rani,” said Josie, turning to them with wide eyes.

“Cruk!” Even Romana was shocked when Narvin swore loudly. He saw the stunned looks on the faces of his agents and Romana and cleared his throat in embarrassment.

“I believe what the Coordinator was trying to say,” said Romana, doing her best to hide her smile, “is that Miss Tyler’s timeline appears to be folding in on itself.”

“What could cause that?” asked Josie.

“A temporal weapon, used for a very precise purpose,” said Narvin gravely. “Is there a version of the Doctor nearby?”

“Yes,” answered Josie.

“Send him to Rose,” ordered Romana and nodded at Narvin to accompany her away from the agents. “Well?”

“Several come to mind,” said Narvin. “I’m afraid it might be difficult to narrow down which weapon it was until we know more.”

“Yes,” said Romana with a sigh. “Inform Cardinal Braxiatel, but no one else. I don’t want the Council jumping on this before we have a chance to have it in hand.”

“Yes, my lady,” he nodded and then left the control room to find Braxiatel.

Romana sighed and returned to where the agents were trying to divert the Doctor’s TARDIS to Europa. She couldn’t quite help her smile when she saw that he would most definitely not be arriving at Brighton.

~

Rose shivered violently, the flimsy sundress she was wearing all but useless against the cold. She ducked inside the closest building, still shivering badly. The indoors were definitely warmer but she just wasn’t dressed for winter. 

There was a holographic info spot at the entrance of the building and Rose took a few minutes to focus. The last thing she remembered was the Cybermen pointing a gun at her and then...nothing. Nothing until she had arrived in the wintry tundra of...well, she wasn’t even sure where she was. The technology did look familiar, so Rose touched the holographic keypad in front of her, gasping when she saw that her location was ‘Luna Europa’. She searched for what day it was, and her shock became further pronounced at the blinking numbers signifying it to be the year 2482.

Abruptly, Rose took inventory of herself, trying to remember if she had anything else besides the key to the TARDIS around her neck. The dress had pockets but they were utterly empty and Rose made a small noise of disappointment. The building she was in appeared to be empty but that meant nothing. Her experience with strange buildings on Europa hadn’t exactly been good. 

Logically, she knew that crossing your own timeline meant very, very bad news, but the fact that she had seen a past version of the Doctor in the very place where she and the Doctor had first met made her realise that things were somehow worse than she had initially thought. This unexpected arrival on Europa in the same year when she and the Doctor had visited only further confirmed that. 

She grasped the key that was resting between her breasts, wishing it was her husband’s hand she was holding. The key started feeling warm, but it took a few more moments for Rose to realise that it had gotten a lot warmer for just being held in her hand. She held it up to her gaze and saw that it was glowing brightly.

To her greatest surprise, she saw the TARDIS materialising at the far end of the room. Feeling cautiously optimistic, Rose started to approach it carefully, unsure of which Doctor she would encounter. Before the doors could open, Rose felt her arm being yanked behind her painfully and a point of needle touching her neck. Frantically, she tried to get a look at her captor and felt her heart freeze. 

“Rani,” she gasped when she saw the dangerous Time Lady looking just as she had all those years ago.

The Rani paid her no mind and Rose would have thought she hadn’t heard her at all, if the point hadn’t jabbed her just a little bit sharply. 

The TARDIS doors opened and the tall, intimidating figure of the Fourth Doctor with his mass of curly hair, bohemian clothes and the enormous multi-coloured scarf emerged from its depths. He was glaring at the Rani fiercely.

“It’s over, Rani,” he said calmly, but the anger in his voice was unmistakable. “Let her go.”

The Rani laughed shortly without humour. “Do you expect me to believe that?” she asked. “You haven’t got the courage to eliminate me any more than you could raise your intellect beyond interference into the lives of lower species. I, on the other hand, will have no qualms with getting rid of this excuse of a lower species.”

“Oi, watch who you’re callin’ a lower species,” said Rose, trying to glare at her but the Rani merely tightened her grip on her.

“I won’t say it again,” said the Doctor in a dangerous voice. “Let Rose go.”

The Rani merely raised her eyebrows and her grip on Rose loosened just a little before the needle pierced the skin of her neck completely.

Rose felt like her insides had been lit on fire and she stumbled to the ground, the sound around her getting fainter and fainter as she started to lose consciousness. Her heart was pounding in her chest in a way that made her fear it would jump out of her chest. Her mind reached for her husband involuntarily but there was no reciprocation from his end. Rose felt her vision go black as her heart quietened to a thready beat, until it went completely silent.

And then her eyes opened and she found herself somewhere else entirely.

~

Romana barely restrained her growl of frustration as Rose died of poisoning at the hands of the Rani on Europa. It didn’t make sense, of course. The Rani was still imprisoned on Shada and was nowhere near Europa, but with time folding as it was, a lot of things seemed to be happening at the same time.

“Has she showed up again yet?” asked Romana sharply.

“Yes, my lady,” said Josie. “On the Orient Express departing from the planet Snowdell and heading towards Applepond.”

“Closest Doctor?” she asked.

“The Fifth one,” said Josie.

“Send him,” ordered Romana but Josie had already started diverting his TARDIS.

“It’s not working, is it?” asked Narvin when he returned.

“No,” said Romana as Rose seemed to die once again, leaving behind a distraught Fifth Doctor. “Where now?” she asked Josie.

“Ancient Rome,” said Josie. “Closest Doctor is the very first one.”

“Madam President,” said Narvin insistently. “Our efforts are merely making matters worse. We have absolutely no inkling of what we are working against.”

Romana’s lips thinned but she nodded shortly. “If you have an alternate explanation, I am all ears, Coordinator Narvin,” she said.

Narvin took a deep breath. “We have seen fixed points altered but never to this effect,” he said.

Romana regarded him carefully. “What are you trying to say, Narvin?”

“What I am saying is that perhaps Miss Tyler isn’t as human as we have been led to believe,” he said.

“Don’t be absurd, Narvin,” said Romana. “I have met her myself. She is as human as can be.”

“No human being is powerful enough to die so many deaths in so many different timelines and still be able to keep going,” he said as Rose died once again in Ancient Rome before cropping up on Nimbus Prime. “The Doctor has been gravitating towards her with only minimal redirection from us.”

“That could just be their bond calling for each other,” said Romana, though she was starting to see Narvin’s point. “Mated pairs have been known to cross timelines when one or the other has been in peril.”

“Still does not explain her deaths,” Narvin pointed out.

Romana pursed her lips and didn’t say anything for a few moments as she watched Rose meet the Seventh Doctor on Nimbus Prime. “What do you suggest?” she asked finally.

“Contact the Doctor,” he said at once. “In his current incarnation. Ask him to communicate with his other selves and coordinate a way to return his bond mate to him. Once we are certain that she is not in danger of more deaths, we can turn our attention towards the source of the disturbance.”

“And observe if she really is human,” said Romana shrewdly, regarding Narvin with raised eyebrows.

Narvin didn’t bother looking abashed. “Yes,” he said.

Romana sighed. “Very well,” she said. “Contact him.”

“Madam President,” nodded Narvin and turned to Josie, who got to work immediately.

“What did Cardinal Braxiatel have to say?” asked Romana while Josie was working on getting them connected to the Doctor.

“He said he was on his way down here,” said Narvin just as the doors of the control room opened and Braxiatel walked in.

“Madam President, Coordinator,” he nodded, but looked quite frantic beneath his unruffled persona. “May I have a word in private with you, my lady?” he asked Romana who raised her eyebrows but nodded. 

“Narvin, do you have this in hand?” she asked.

“Yes, my lady,” he nodded.

“Carry on then,” said Romana and beckoned Braxiatel to follow her out of the control room.

Narvin watched them go with raised eyebrows. He was very curious indeed about what Cardinal Braxiatel wanted to tell the President so urgently, but he remained focused on the task at hand. Josie gave him the go ahead as the complicated comm. link was set up and Narvin saw the Doctor’s Eighth and Eleventh incarnations staring back at him, looking none too pleased about seeing him.

“Narvin,” said the Eighth Doctor in displeasure. “Now is really not a good time.”

Narvin rolled his eyes but didn’t attempt a sharp retort. “We have located your...bond mate,” he said the words with just enough disdain to make the Doctor bristle before he realised what Narvin was saying.

“You found Rose?” he asked frantically. “Where is she? Is she alright? I swear if you have laid a hand on her…”

His tirade was cut off by the Eleventh Doctor who didn’t look nearly as hostile towards Narvin as his younger self. “I know you wouldn’t have harmed Rose,” he said calmly, his youthful face looking so very old that Narvin felt like he was a child back in the Academy, even though he was older than the Doctor. “How have you located her?”

“Her disappearance has caused ripples through the web of time,” said Narvin. “Of course we attempted to locate her.”

“Yes, yes, someone has used a temporal weapon, I know,” said the Eighth Doctor impatiently. “Where is she?”

“Currently?” asked Narvin, looking over at the monitor in front of Josie. “On Earth with your Second self.”

“What?” asked the Eighth Doctor while the Eleventh Doctor looked thoughtful.

“She is folding through time,” said the Eleventh Doctor. “Isn’t she?”

“Yes, and we cannot seem to stop it,” said Narvin. “We tried sending your younger selves to help, but that has been ineffective. Now it appears as if you are showing up even without us sending for you.”

“We will have to send a call through our timeline,” said the Eighth Doctor, realisation spreading across his face.

“That was what I was about to suggest, yes,” said Narvin.

“Fine, fine, we’ll do it,” said the Eighth Doctor and cut off the comm. link.

“Hmm, so very rude,” murmured Narvin. “Well, Agent Kilburn?”

“Rose’s energy signature is still visible though she appears to be alone now,” said Josie. “No, hang on, she’s not alone anymore.”

“Which version of the Doctor found her this time?” asked Narvin with a long-suffering sigh.

“I-I am not sure,” said Josie. “His signature is all scrambled up.”

“In plain language, please, Agent Kilburn,” said Narvin irritably.

“It appears to be the Doctor, but not a proper regeneration,” said Josie. “The database has found a match for his signature,” she added when an alert popped up.

“Well?” demanded Narvin impatiently. “Who is it?”

“Someone who has been mislabelled as being deceased,” said Josie, looking at Narvin with wide eyes. “The Valeyard.”

~

“This isn’t going to be easy,” said the Eleventh Doctor quietly.

“You think I don’t know that?” demanded the Eighth Doctor harshly. “I have to get her back, I just have to.”

“Of course you do,” snapped the Eleventh Doctor. “Do you think I don’t want her back? But I can’t focus when you are so distracted and if we can’t make this contact properly, we will lose our only chance of getting Rose back. So I need you to push back your emotions for one moment and FOCUS!”

Seeing his mild-mannered, almost childish older self glaring darkly at him made the Eighth Doctor’s erratic motions falter. He nodded imperceptibly and took a few deep breaths to calm down. “Alright,” he said a few moments later. “I am ready.”

“Good,” said the Eleventh Doctor approvingly. “It will be easier to make the contact since there are two of us, but difficult to navigate to a common meeting point.”

“I know,” said the Eighth Doctor, impatience colouring his tone though he bit back his frustration hastily. “Let’s just make the contact.”

The Eleventh Doctor sighed. “Fine, just be ready to navigate very quickly,” he said. “Contact.”

“Contact,” said the Eighth Doctor.

The dual incarnations sent a resonating distress call through their timeline. The response was instantaneous and the Eleventh Doctor fumbled with the controls blindly as he entered the coordinates into the TARDIS. Between the two of them, they managed to pilot the TARDIS to said coordinates and even though the contact broke off before the TARDIS could land, they knew that it had worked.

The TARDIS landed sluggishly and the two Doctors rushed outside at once to find themselves near the Powell Estate with two identical police boxes parked right opposite them.

“I thought we sent it to the younger ones,” said the Eighth Doctor in confusion when he saw only two TARDISes.

“We did,” said the Eleventh Doctor as the doors to the two TARDISes opened and the other two Doctors stepped out. “Except we sent it to the ones younger than me, not you. Meet your Ninth and Tenth selves.”

~

“Well, what is it?” asked Romana as Braxiatel led her to an empty meeting room.

“I think I have an idea about what is happening,” said Braxiatel, but he looked so harried that Romana felt concerned.

“Tell me,” she said, doing her best to take the imperious edge off her tone.

Braxiatel took a deep breath before he met her gaze. “Madam President,” he began solemnly. “How much do you know about the story of Arkytior and the Other?”


	16. The Eternity Doctors: Heartbreak Warfare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thanks to Vampiyaa for the beta.

_Previously_

_“I think I have an idea about what is happening,” said Braxiatel, but he looked so harried that Romana felt concerned._

_“Tell me,” she said, doing her best to take the imperious edge off her tone._

_Braxiatel took a deep breath before he met her gaze. “Madam President,” he began solemnly. “How much do you know about the story of Arkytior and the Other?”_

Romana looked unimpressed. “Is this really the time for fairy tales, Braxiatel?” she asked.

“Please,” he said, uncharacteristically serious.

Romana sighed. “The Other and Arkytior,” she began to recite verbatim from a book that one of her cousins had sneaked into their House back when she had been a mere Time Tot. “A story of star-crossed lovers. He was a Time Lord, she was an Eternal. The Guardians forbade their love so they defied them and fled to Gallifrey. But the Guardians found them and cursed Arkytior to a mortal life…” Her voice slowly changed from exasperated monotone to one of interest. “The Other committed suicide by…”

“By jumping into the looms to be reborn as a new Time Lord,” finished Braxiatel, looking at Romana significantly.

Romana stared at him in disbelief. “It can’t be,” she gasped in a low voice.

“I am afraid so,” he nodded.

“Bu-but the Doctor is your brother,” said Romana, still in a low voice as if afraid someone would hear them if she raised her voice. “You were loomed together.”

“Yes,” said Braxiatel. “Which is how I am certain of this.”

Romana’s eyes went wide. “You thought it was you at first,” she said, and it wasn’t a question.

“I did,” said Braxiatel, not bothering to deny it. “The Doctor and I are the only ones in what could loosely be called our family. Our roots have been always kept mysteriously hidden, even from us.”

“So naturally, you went looking,” said Romana unsurprised.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I wasn’t completely certain which one of us it was. Well, at least I didn’t, until he met Miss Tyler.”

“An Eternal condemned to mortal life,” realised Romana. “Dear Rassilon, no wonder Narvin was suspicious.” A throat was cleared from the door and they turned around to see Narvin, looking like he was trying not to appear too smug. Romana raised her eyebrows. “Dare I ask how much of that you heard, Coordinator?” she asked.

“I suppose all of it,” he said, walking up to them. “So, it is an Eternal’s existence that has been rewritten. It does explain quite a lot about what is happening.”

Braxiatel looked unhappy that Narvin had eavesdropped and did his best to swallow back his discomfort at having one of his secrets laid out into the open like this. “Has the Doctor been contacted?” he asked gruffly.

“He has, but I doubt it will be useful knowing what we do now,” said Narvin.

“His future selves,” nodded Braxiatel. “That’s to be expected, I suppose. They will work it out. Meanwhile, Miss Tyler…”

“Remains in peril,” said Narvin, his smug demeanour faltering. “She has been found by someone we are all very familiar with.”

“Who?” asked Romana warily.

“The Valeyard,” said Narvin gravely.

~

“Oh, no, no, no,” said the Eighth Doctor, looking at his older selves. “I don’t have time for this now.”

“Neither do we,” snapped the pinstriped Tenth Doctor. “Something has gone very, very wrong.”

“Yes, we get that, thanks,” interrupted the leather-wearing Ninth Doctor. 

“Good thing we are at the Powell Estate then,” said the Eleventh Doctor.

“How is that a good thing exactly?” demanded the Ninth Doctor with a glare. “Rose goes missing mysteriously and you want to tell Jackie?”

“It’s not like we had a choice,” snapped the Eighth Doctor. “You two picked the coordinates.”

The Ninth and Tenth Doctors exchanged confused looks. “We didn’t pick anything,” said the Tenth Doctor finally. “I assume you two did. You were the ones who sent the recall message.”

“We sent the message but we didn’t pick the coordinates,” said the Eleventh Doctor in confusion.

“How thick do I get in my old age?” demanded the Ninth Doctor. “The ones who send the recall signal are supposed to set the coordinates. It’s common knowledge.”

“Shut up, the lot of you,” snapped the Eleventh Doctor and nodded towards the edge of the avenue where they saw a familiar blonde woman.

“Jackie,” said the Tenth Doctor, recognising her. “Who is she with?” He reached into his pockets for his glasses, but his Ninth self was staring at the man next to Jackie as if he was seeing a ghost.

“That’s Pete Tyler,” he said in disbelief, not noticing his Eleventh self slinking away to pick up a discarded newspaper from the ground and staring at it in horror.

“Rose’s father?” asked the Eighth Doctor. “How is that possible?”

“No, no, no, this can’t be right,” said the Tenth Doctor. “We must be early. Before Rose had ever been born.”

“Afraid not,” interjected the Eleventh Doctor and showed them the newspaper. “It’s 2007.”

~

Rose squinted against the bright sunlight, wondering which Doctor she would meet next. The past hours had been eventful, to say the least. By her count, she had met all of the seven Doctors that had come before hers, in places where she and her husband had visited, and each time, Rose had been killed by whatever foe they had been facing at the time.

Except, she wouldn’t really die. Just wake up in the new place, confused and disoriented for a moment before she felt just fine. It was getting old, and Rose had frankly had enough. The place she was currently in was bright and hot, and really quite familiar. As Rose’s vision adjusted and she finally got to take a good look around at her surroundings, she realised that it was the same beach in Fiji where she and the Doctor had been before all of this had started.

She scrambled down the beach hastily, trying to see if the Doctor was still there, but when she came upon the picnic blanket in the shade, an unfamiliar man was seated against the cushions, calmly sipping a glass of sparkling wine. He was dressed in heavy, black robes that seemed very unsuited to the place that they were in. Rose immediately went on alert and considered going back to where the TARDIS had been parked, but the man set aside his empty glass of wine and closed his eyes.

“Are you just going to stand there all day?” he asked.

Rose stayed where she was, not sure what she should do or why his voice sounded a little familiar.

He opened his eyes and looked directly where Rose was unsuccessfully trying to hide. “I can see you, Rose Tyler,” he said. “Won’t you join me for a glass of wine?”

Rose walked out to him slowly but didn’t sit. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Can’t you tell?” he asked, holding out a glass of wine to her.

“No,” answered Rose, but the damage had been done when she’d answered far too quickly.

The man’s smile widened. “Always could tell when you were lying,” he said. “You have always been too honest for your own good.”

Rose tensed at the familiar way he spoke about her and her mind raced to try and remember where she had heard him before. But the worst part was how his mind appeared to her. It was eerily similar to how the Doctor felt, but not exactly, as if the wires hadn’t quite connected properly. A memory sparked in her mind, of being in the Matrix with her Doctor and his sixth regeneration, running away from…

“The Valeyard,” said Rose finally. 

~

“It can’t be,” said the Eighth Doctor in shock. “It has to be a parallel world.”

His older selves shot him incredulous looks before the Eleventh Doctor’s face went smooth. “Why do you say that?” he asked.

The Eighth Doctor looked at him like he was mad. “Well how else do you explain Pete Tyler being alive in 2007?” he hissed.

“But parallel universes are seal-” The Tenth Doctor abruptly stopped talking at a sharp jab to the ribs from his Eleventh self. He shot him an annoyed look but the Eighth Doctor had stopped paying attention to them.

“I am going to talk to Jackie.” Before any of his older selves could stop him, he started jogging over to the couple taking an evening stroll. “Jackie?” he asked tentatively.

“Yeah?” she asked, looking a little suspicious of him but otherwise there was no recognition on her face.

The Doctor’s hearts sank and he plastered a smile on his face. “I’m sorry, I was just looking for Rose,” he said.

Jackie and Pete exchanged confused looks. “Who?” asked Pete.

“Rose Tyler,” he said, his voice rising in his panic. “Your daughter, my wife.”

Jackie glared venomously at him. “Who put you up to this?” she asked coldly. “Was it Moe? Was it?” she shrieked.

“What?” asked the Doctor, recoiling at the anger in her voice. 

Jackie’s eyes filled with furious tears. “Is that what they all do behind my back? Make fun of me that I-I c-can’t…” She started sobbing and walked away angrily, muttering under her breath about nutters.

Pete watched his wife leave and his face crumpled for a moment before he glared at the Doctor. “You stay away from us, whoever you are,” he said, pointing at him threateningly. “I will not have you upset Jackie for the sake of a sick joke.”

“I assure you, none of this is remotely funny,” said the Doctor.

“No, it isn’t,” snapped Pete furiously. “Go back and tell Moe, or whoever it was that put you up to this. I love my wife. She means the world to me. And nobody, I repeat nobody, gets to be cruel enough to remind her that she can never have children.”

Throwing a last disdainful glare at the Doctor, Pete Tyler walked away in anger. The Doctor stayed frozen right where he was, his mind feeling absolutely numb.

~

The Valeyard smiled at Rose. “Very good, my dear,” he said and held up the glass again. “The wine really is quite good, you know.”

Rose took the offered glass but didn’t drink it even though she was quite thirsty. “You are supposed to be dead,” she said.

“Yes, but as you can clearly see, I am very much alive,” he smirked. “I haven’t poisoned the wine, you know. If I wanted to kill you, I have any number of better ways of doing it.”

Rose laughed harshly. “Really?” she asked disbelievingly. “So, it hasn’t been you who has been the reason for me dying every time I meet a version of the Doctor?”

He looked fascinated for a moment. “Is that what it did?” he asked. “Intriguing.”

Rose gritted her teeth angrily. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

“Simply that I had no idea what would happen to you when your timeline started folding in on itself,” he said calmly, as if discussing the weather. At her look of confusion, he tilted his head slightly. “I admit I started this whole thing. But I didn’t quite know what it would do to you as you were erased from time.”

Rose stared at him in horror. “E-erase me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“It’s nothing personal,” he shrugged. 

“Nothing personal?” asked Rose, looking at him like he was insane. “You are going to kill me and you’re saying it’s nothing personal?”

“I am _not_ killing you,” he said furiously, his eyes flashing as he glared at her. “I couldn’t kill you,” he murmured in a low voice that Rose wasn’t certain if she was supposed to hear. “You might not believe me, Rose Tyler, but this is really the best way.”

“The best way to what?” asked Rose and growled in frustration when he didn’t say anything. “I can’t help you if you won’t tell me anything.”

He raised his eyebrow sardonically. “You think I need your help?” he snorted. “We are well past help, Rose. Now, all we can do is wait for you to fade away.” His voice turned comforting and he almost smiled. “I wouldn’t be scared if I were you. I have heard it is quite a painless way to go.”

~

While the Eighth Doctor had approached Pete and Jackie, his older selves had been watching him and none of them looked happy about it.

“Who wants to tell him the truth?” asked the Tenth Doctor finally.

“What truth would that be exactly?” asked the Ninth Doctor harshly. “That we never knew Rose in that life or the fact that the poor bastard thinks we are married to her?”

The Tenth and Eleventh Doctor exchanged looks but said nothing. “A timeline folding can produce overlapping memories,” said the Eleventh Doctor finally as they watched Pete storm off. “He probably thinks he was the one who met Rose.” He took a deep breath and looked at them. “Just like the two of you do.”

“Excuse me?” asked the Ninth Doctor while the Tenth Doctor’s mouth fell open. “What?”

The Eleventh Doctor looked at them pityingly. “I didn’t know Rose in my Eighth life. Nor did I meet her in my Ninth or Tenth life.” 

“What are you talking about?” asked the Tenth Doctor, his voice almost an angry growl. “Of course, I knew her.”

“ _I_ met Rose for the first time,” said the Eleventh Doctor with a sigh as the Eighth Doctor returned to them. “In my eleventh life.”

“Don’t be absurd,” snapped the Eighth Doctor, still looking deathly pale from his conversation with Jackie and Pete. “I was the one who met Rose first.”

“Well, we can’t have all met her first,” snapped the Ninth Doctor. 

“Actually,” came a new voice, which made all four Doctors turn around. “Only one of you is right.”

The thin man with a head of grey hair, and sharp blue-grey eyes sauntered up to them, his black jacket with its red lining fluttering behind him as he walked. He raised his prominent eyebrows at them, lips curling into a smirk when he reached them.

“Now then,” he said, his Scottish voice rumbling around them with authority. “I think it’s time we had a little meeting with ourselves and clear all this up, don’t you Doctors? We do, after all, have our Rose to save.”

~

“You are mad,” said Rose, aghast. “You are absolutely mad.”

“Not mad,” he said calmly. “Resigned, perhaps. Definitely in control of my destiny for once. Isn’t that what we all crave? Power over ourselves.”

Rose laughed in disbelief. “Listen to you,” she said. “I was right. You are not the Doctor. You could never be.”

“I am not _not_ the Doctor either,” he pointed out. “I am _more_ than him. I am stronger, and I am not a coward who hides his true nature. You could hate me if you wanted, but that won’t stop me from being right.”

“So why do all of this?” asked Rose. “Why erase me from time? What’s it all for? You want to hurt him, is that it?”

“ _Hurt_ him?” he asked incredulously. “If I hurt him, I would only be hurting myself. And as self-flagellating as I have been in my lives, I would never go to such lengths for revenge on myself.”

“Then what is it?” asked Rose, shaking her head as she tried to understand.

“It isn’t your death I want Rose, or the Doctor’s pain,” he said. “If anything, I am trying to save us all.”

“How?” demanded Rose.

He smiled coldly. “By taking Gallifrey.”


	17. The Eternity Doctors: Original Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta, Vampiyaa.

_Previously_

_“Has the Doctor been contacted?” he asked gruffly._

_“He has, but I doubt it will be useful knowing what we do now,” said Narvin._

_“His future selves,” nodded Braxiatel. “That’s to be expected, I suppose. They will work it out. Meanwhile, Miss Tyler…”_

_“Remains in peril,” said Narvin, his smug demeanour faltering. “She has been found by someone we are all very familiar with.”_

_“Who?” asked Romana warily._

_“The Valeyard,” said Narvin gravely._

“If it is the Valeyard, then we have to get rid of him as soon as possible,” said Romana, rubbing her forehead in frustration. “Suggestions?”

Narvin and Braxiatel exchanged looks. “Perhaps,” said Narvin. “We could send one of the Doctor’s other incarnations there.”

“Foolhardy,” declared Braxiatel at once, ignoring it when Narvin glared at him. “Madam President, may I remind you…?”

“No,” said Romana immediately. “Not that one.”

Braxiatel sighed and spoke as if he was mustering up every bit of his patience. “It is hardly the first time the Council has called on his assistance. And he made it very clear…”

“Cardinal Braxiatel,” interrupted Romana. “May I remind you of his list of crimes?”

“I am well-versed in his crimes, Madam President,” said Braxiatel. “But we are running out of options.”

“It would be helpful if you spoke in sentences that actually ended,” said Narvin, irritated at having been left out of the loop.

“A former ally of the Valeyard left a parting note on the occasion of his death,” said Braxiatel after exchanging a look with Romana. “He claimed that he knew the Valeyard would return one day and he knew exactly how to stop him.”

“And who would be this mysterious ally be?” asked Narvin, raising his eyebrows.

Romana gritted her teeth and glared at Braxiatel before answering. “The Master.”

~

“Why would you want Gallifrey?” asked Rose, looking at him in confusion. “You hate everything about it.”

“Exactly,” he said, but wouldn’t elaborate. 

Rose huffed in frustration and glanced down at her hand, feeling her heart sink when she saw herself flicker slightly, like bad reception on telly.

“It’s almost done,” said the Valeyard, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Tell me how you did it,” said Rose, wrapping her arms around herself. The Valeyard didn’t answer and Rose glared at him. “What does it matter if you tell me? I’m going to die soon enough.”

He sighed. “I used a Conceptual Bomb,” he said.

Rose’s brow furrowed. “What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s a temporal weapon, made by the Vess,” he said. “Highly illegal and you have to go into a pocket universe to even find a Vess auction.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “The Conceptual Bomb is one of its kind. It wasn’t easy to come by.”

“Great,” said Rose, sarcasm ringing through every bit of her tone. “God forbid you kill me with a common weapon.”

“I am not killing you!” he shouted angrily, making her jump. “I am saving you. I know you don’t understand.”

“And I never will!” shouted Rose, losing her patience. “You keep expecting me to know everything when you won’t say anything. I ask you a question and all I get are vague responses that neatly sidestep the question each time.”

The Valeyard rounded on her angrily. “I went back in time. I spoke to your mother. I implanted the Conceptual Bomb at a point in her timeline where she would forever believe that she was unable to bear children. The Conceptual Bomb fed on her thought and created a whole reality based off that solitary thought,” he said furiously, breathing heavily once he had finished. “And that, Rose Tyler, is why you are being erased. Because you are the remnant of a dead timeline. One that never happened. A world where Rose Tyler was never born.”

Rose stared at him in horror. “M-my mum?” she asked finally. “What did you do to my mum?!”

“She’s perfectly safe,” he said and then smiled sardonically. “She is with your father. He is alive, if you would believe it. Turns out, if you hadn’t been born, he would have gone on to live past seventy.”

Rose looked like he had slapped her in the face. She turned away from him and started walking away, hardly caring where she was going or if he was coming after her. Her vision was blurring, the world around her was spinning too fast and the sounds were all muted, drowned out by the shrill ringing in her ears. The sun overhead continued to burn, the sand under her feet kept dragging her down further with each step and when Rose finally fell to her knees and started to sob, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder.

She could hardly muster up the energy to turn to the person who had touched her, but when she finally did, she could hardly believe it. 

“Fitz?”

~

“ _Our_ Rose?” asked the Eighth Doctor, glaring at the newcomer. “Who do you think you are?”

“I’m you, you Byronic fop,” he snapped. “The Twelfth one. Right after this bowtie-wearing giraffe over here.” He nodded towards the Eleventh Doctor, who rolled his eyes at him.

“What did you mean when you said only one of us was right?” asked the Ninth Doctor, interrupting what was undoubtedly gearing up to be an old argument.

The Twelfth Doctor raised his eyebrows and exhaled slowly. “Well, all four of you think you met Rose for the first time. Obviously, only one of you can be right,” he said.

“Don’t tell me you think it’s you,” said the Tenth Doctor, regarding him with narrowed eyes.

The Twelfth Doctor rolled his eyes and looked at his Eleventh self. “Where did you meet Rose?” he asked.

“Leadworth,” he answered at once, ignoring the scoffs from the others. “The Atraxi were searching for a prisoner.”

The Twelfth Doctor nodded impassively and looked at his Tenth self. “Your turn, pretty boy,” he said.

The Tenth Doctor glared at him. “I met Rose in London,” he said, watching the way his Eighth and Ninth selves perked up a little at that. “At Christmas. The Sycorax were planning an invasion.”

“Well?” The Twelfth Doctor looked at the Ninth Doctor next.

“In London,” he answered. “The shop where she worked at had been overrun by Autons.”

The Eighth Doctor had been nodding until the mention of the Autons. When his Twelfth self turned to him, he huffed in irritation before answering. “In London. At the shop where she worked. Except, they weren’t Autons,” he said.

“They were Cybermen,” nodded the Twelfth Doctor. “And do you know how I knew he was the only one who was right even before I asked how you met Rose?” At the slightly confused looks from his younger selves, he pointed to his Eighth self’s hand. “The wedding ring, you morons.” He shook his head. “He is the only one wearing it. Apart from me, of course.”

Their eyes swivelled to his hand where the wedding ring was sitting innocuously. 

“Right,” said the Eighth Doctor finally. “Now that we have cleared that up. Why the different memories?”

“Not sure,” said the Twelfth Doctor. “Whatever he used, it is causing the timeline to fold through both the past and the future.”

“You know who did this?” asked the Eleventh Doctor at once.

“‘Course I do,” said the Twelfth Doctor. “It’s part of the reason why I remember. Because he came from my time.”

“Who did?” asked the Eighth Doctor.

The Twelfth Doctor got a grave look on his face. “The Valeyard,” he said.

There was stunned silence for a moment. “He’s dead,” said the Ninth Doctor flatly.

“He could have always faked his death,” said the Tenth Doctor.

“Unless, he came from your time because that’s when he was created,” said the Eleventh Doctor shrewdly.

“Well, you are all right,” said the Twelfth Doctor. “He was created in my time. But he did fake his death in the Matrix. This havoc he is causing right now has been after that point in time.”

“How was he created?” asked the Eighth Doctor quietly.

The Twelfth Doctor’s face shut down. “It isn’t your story to know yet. All you need to know is that he is us. At least partially,” he said. He shook himself slightly and straightened up. “This is what we are going to do…”

“Excuse me,” interrupted the Ninth Doctor, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why are you in charge again?”

The Twelfth Doctor shot him a manic grin. “Basically,” he said. “It’s the eyebrows.”

~

“Hi, Rose,” said Fitz, offering her his hand so she could take it to stand up.

Rose continued to gape at him, hardly aware of the hand that he had extended to her. “Am I hallucinating?” she asked, suddenly aware that her throat felt dry.

“No,” he said with a small smile and then sat down in the sand next to her. “It all seems a bit like a hallucination, I suppose, after a while.”

“Fitz, is it really you?” asked Rose, reaching for him tentatively. 

He grinned and took her hand and held it to his chest. “Alive and just fine,” he said.

If Rose had been paying attention, she would have seen that his smile never reached his eyes. As such, she was staring at her hand on his chest in wonder. “You’re here,” she said. “You are actually here.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“B-but how?” asked Rose. “Last we saw you…”

“You got married,” said Fitz, looking down at the hand on his chest. “I guess congratulations are in order.”

Rose looked a little startled, but she nodded just the same. “We wanted you to be there,” she said, not untruthfully. “Fitz, why didn’t you…?”

“So, how long has it been?” he asked, interrupting her.

Rose stopped and withdrew her hand from him, registering the aloofness in his voice for the first time. “A few months,” she said, getting to her feet and crossing her arms behind her back. 

“Months, right,” said Fitz, following suit and standing up next to her. “Suppose you were busy then.”

“You never said how you got here, Fitz,” said Rose, unnerved at how he seemed to be putting on a facade of casualness when he was clearly very angry.

“No, he didn’t, did he?” asked the Valeyard as he walked up to them.

Rose’s jaw clenched and she glared at him before looking at Fitz, who seemed unsurprised and apparently at ease with the Valeyard’s presence. “Fitz,” said Rose, doing her best not to sound as betrayed as she was feeling. “Please, tell me you didn’t…”

“That I what?” he demanded, losing his cool demeanour. “That I came with him after you and the Doctor abandoned me? That everything you ever told me was a lie? That I don’t even know who you and the Doctor really are anymore?”

Rose stared at him in shock. “We never abandoned you,” she said. “You said you needed time.” She looked at the Valeyard, who seemed unperturbed. She turned back to Fitz. “Fitz, whatever he has told you…” she shook her head roughly. “He’s lying, Fitz. You can’t believe a word of what he’s told you.”

“I said she would say that, didn’t I?” asked the Valeyard, in a sinister tone that he hadn’t used in front of Rose before.

“Oh, you just shut up!” shouted Rose, rounding on him. “You are erasing my existence and you used my mum to do it. I don’t care what lies you’ve fed him but I’m not gonna let you brainwash him as well. If I am going to die, then you’d better believe I’d make sure he knows the truth.”

“The truth is,” interrupted Fitz loudly. “The truth is that you lied to me. And left me behind without a thought.”

“We waited for your call,” said Rose earnestly and flinched when her body seemed to flicker again. “Please, Fitz,” she said, taking a deep breath. “You have to believe me. We checked every day to see if you had called.”

Fitz looked between her and the Valeyard and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter,” he said in a tired voice. “It will be over soon. Won’t it?” he asked the Valeyard.

“Of course, Fitz,” said the Valeyard, smiling in what he thought was a benevolent manner. “It is all going to be over soon.”

~

“Fetch Leela for me,” ordered Romana as she walked down the corridor. The young technician, who doubled as her assistant on most days, nodded and scarpered off.

Romana continued on her way until she reached the revival chamber where Narvin and Braxiatel were locked in a glaring match over a box containing the Master’s biodata. Romana rolled her eyes at them as she walked in.

“Stop acting like children,” she chided. “I have just been in to speak with the Agents. They tell me that the future Doctors have a plan.”

“I assume they don’t know what we are about to do,” said Narvin, raising his eyebrows.

“If you want the Doctor to know we are resurrecting one of his deadliest foes with a personal vendetta against him, I would suggest you go ahead and inform him,” said Braxiatel facetiously, rolling his eyes at Narvin.

Narvin affixed him with a cold glare. “I was merely saying…”

“Enough,” snapped Romana and sighed deeply. “I understand that none of us particularly relish this course of action, but as Cardinal Braxiatel said, we are out of options. And as Coordinator Narvin has rightly pointed out, it is better if we do this on our own terms. The Valeyard is the greater evil here, remember?”

Narvin and Braxiatel glared at each other again before nodding coolly. “Of course, Madam President,” said Braxiatel. “Shall we begin?”

“Not yet,” said Romana and nodded when the doors to the revival chamber opened and a tall woman dressed in animal skins walked inside.

“Why is the savage here?” asked Narvin distastefully.

Leela glared at him and drew out her knife. “Call me savage once more and I shall cut you open,” she threatened.

“Leela, put that away,” said Romana.

Leela gritted her teeth but withdrew her knife. “Why was I asked to come here?” she asked.

“We are about to revive a very dangerous Time Lord,” said Romana. “As my personal bodyguard, I thought it would do well to have you here in case something goes wrong.”

“You are bringing an evil man back from the dead?” asked Leela, looking at them in shock. “Why?”

“It is of no concern to you,” said Narvin. “Madam President, we are keeping this from the Agency and the Council both. Do you think it wise to have _her_ here?”

“You shall address me by my name,” roared Leela. “It’s Leela. I could carve it into your chest if you cannot remember.”

“There will be no carving,” said Romana, in a long-suffering tone. 

“She is the wife of the Commander of the Chancellery Guard,” said Narvin, undeterred. “What’s to stop her from blurting out everything to her husband?”

“Leela will not betray me,” said Romana, and that was her final word on it. “Begin, Braxiatel.”

Braxiatel nodded and opened the box. He drew out a slide of the Master’s biodata and walked over to the revival chamber. Leela stood in front of Romana with her knife drawn, and eyes fixed on the machinery that Braxiatel was working on. 

“Biodata has been entered,” said Braxiatel. “Beginning revival in 3...2...1.”

A bright light washed over the room as the machinery lit up making the three Time Lords and Leela shield their eyes. When the light finally died down, the silhouette of a man was visible inside the revival pod. His features were difficult to make out through the translucent glass covering the pod, but as Braxiatel moved forward to power down the machinery, the glass lowered slowly, revealing the head and torso of a tall, well-built man with pale skin and a bald head.

“Is it him?” asked Leela quietly.

“Yes, it is him,” said Narvin, his voice just as quiet. 

The man in the pod snapped his eyes open and looked at his surroundings in panic before he saw the assembled group of people in the room. A slow smile lighted his face.

“Hello, you.”


	18. The Best Enemy: The Catalyst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my extended absence. Thanks for sticking by me.
> 
> Beta by Vampiyaa. Thanks, darling!

“She’s lying, isn’t she?” asked Fitz in a low voice, watching Rose sit down away from him and the Valeyard. “You sent them my message and they didn’t bother coming for me?”

“Of course,” said the Valeyard smoothly, checking the time on a pocket watch he fetched from his robes. “I sent the message as promised, but apparently, they were too busy getting married. And no doubt, finding someone else’s lives to ruin. Just like the Drahvins and others like those poor creatures.”

“Right, yeah,” nodded Fitz, looking appeased. He glanced towards Rose, who was staring at the wedding ring on her hand. Even from this distance, Fitz could see the sadness on her face. As he blinked, her outline seemed to blur and he would have thought that he had imagined it, but Rose shuddered as it happened, making him realise that she really wouldn’t exist soon. Perhaps, a matter of minutes. “I can’t stay here,” he blurted out to the Valeyard. “I’ll wait in the TARDIS.”

The Valeyard nodded absently. “Very well,” he said. “Off you go.”

Fitz hurried away and went into the Valeyard’s TARDIS. Once he was inside, he took a moment to collect his thoughts. He felt so conflicted and unsure about whom to believe. He had travelled with the Doctor and Rose. They had been his friends, the closest thing to a family he had ever had, including his own mother. But the Valeyard’s evidence had been overwhelming as well. He had seen it with his own eyes. And once this was all over, he could return home and start fresh.

Except, he couldn’t. He would always know that he had killed Rose. Someone he had admired and liked very much. Who had always been honest with him. Even when the Doctor had been shuttered and cautious, Rose had never been like that. Not just with him, but with everyone they met.

Fitz was moving before he knew it and he was soon finding the communication log of the Valeyard’s TARDIS. The console was a lot advanced than he remembered the Doctor’s TARDIS being but the switches and levers were clearly marked and extremely easy to navigate which meant that he found a log of outgoing messages at once. He ran his eye over them quickly but found that his message was not among them. Hands trembling, he did a database-wide search using the words in his message and a screen popped up with the message. He opened the folder and his jaw clenched when he saw that it was the deleted messages folder.

His first instinct was to go and confront the Valeyard for lying to him. But he had never been good at confrontations and he had just realised what a stupid mistake he had made in trusting the Valeyard. Rose was going to die if he didn’t do something soon.

He shut his eyes tightly and tried to remember everything the Valeyard had ever told him about the Conceptual Bomb. He had the information in his head, but he also needed help. Making a decision quickly, he went to the comm. system and found the link to contact the Doctor’s TARDIS.

He had to call the Doctor at once.

~

The five Doctors were arguing as they all piled into a single TARDIS. The TARDISes had merged at some point, leaving only one police box left standing at the Powell Estate. The interior, to their surprise, was the Eighth Doctor’s Jules Verne-esque console room with its gothic ambiance.

As soon as they were inside, the Eighth Doctor abandoned the argument and walked over to the chaise near the fireplace where Rose’s crimson silk wrap had been tossed haphazardly after a night of dancing in Paris. She had looked enchanting and he had barely been able to keep his eyes (or his hands) off her the entire time they had been there. The silk wrap had come undone the minute they had walked in the doors and the rest of the night had been spent in a haze of pleasure. They had never got to tidy it up since he took them to Fiji soon after that.

The Doctor picked it up now and caressed the smooth material between his fingers, closing his eyes at the lingering traces of Rose’s perfume on the silk. He had to find her or he would go mad. He just knew it. The argument had gone quiet behind him but the Doctor sat down on the chaise and buried his face into the crimson silk, fighting back sobs. 

“You go talk to him,” he heard his Tenth self hiss quietly.

“Why me? Why not you?” argued the Eleventh one.

There was silence before the Ninth Doctor spoke. “You should talk to him,” he said reluctantly. “You’re the only one who knows the whole story.”

The Twelfth Doctor heaved a sigh and went towards the chaise with extreme reluctance. He sat down next to his younger self and fidgeted briefly before touching his shoulder tentatively. “There, there,” he said uselessly.

“Oh dear god,” muttered the Tenth Doctor.

“You do it then if you’re so good at dealing with feelings,” snapped the Twelfth Doctor.

“I can hear you lot,” muttered the Eighth Doctor, with his face still buried in Rose’s wrap. “I wish I couldn’t. There is only one voice I wish to hear right now and it’s not my own. Any of my own.”

“Look,” said the Twelfth Doctor, the usual snappishness returning to his voice. “I know this is awful, but sitting here and hiding in pieces of Rose’s clothing is not going to help her. We have to fix this.”

The Eighth Doctor lifted his head and looked at his Twelfth self with red-rimmed eyes. “Why do you have the wedding ring?” he asked.

“What kind of a stupid question is that?” he asked, looking at him like he was mad.

“You are older than me by at least a few millennia but you are still wearing the ring,” he said and then his eyes widened. “The Gold Guardian, she said something.”

“The Guardians need to mind their own business,” said the Twelfth Doctor, looking away. “And whatever you are asking me, you know I can’t answer it.”

“She is still with you, isn’t she?” asked the Eighth Doctor. “Isn’t she?” he asked in a louder voice when the Twelfth Doctor didn’t answer.

“How is that possible?” asked the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Doctor looked up to see all of his younger selves looking at him curiously.

He glared at them. “What part of this don’t you lot understand?” he demanded. “I cannot tell you,” he said, enunciating each word as if speaking to a bunch of toddlers. “Especially not you three since your memories aren’t even on par with reality right now,” he added with a disdainful look at the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors.

“But mine are,” interjected the Eighth Doctor. “You knew right where to come and you said the Valeyard came from your time. She vanished from your arms too, didn’t she?”

The Twelfth Doctor gritted his teeth and then very slowly, nodded once. The console room was silent as the Doctors digested that bit of information. The Eighth Doctor absently folded up Rose’s wrap and set it aside.

“Alright,” he said finally, getting to his feet. “Let’s get to fixing this. Do you know what the Valeyard’s ultimate goal is in all this?” He directed that question at his Twelfth self.

“Not for certain, but I have an idea,” he admitted. “I think he plans to take Gallifrey.”

“That’s absurd,” said the Eleventh Doctor at once. “Why go after Rose if he wants Gallifrey?”

“He makes a good point,” said the Tenth Doctor, nodding at his Eleventh self.

“I know,” snapped the Twelfth Doctor. “From what I understand, his anger was not with her. Or with us, for that matter.”

“Then why do all this?” demanded the Ninth Doctor, crossing his arms over his chest.

“He wants to take Gallifrey, so it seems likely that he is angry with someone there,” said the Eighth Doctor.

“Wonderful, let’s make a list, shall we?” muttered the Tenth Doctor, rubbing his eyes in irritation.

“I can narrow it down,” said the Twelfth Doctor darkly. “Hypothetically, if Rose had never existed, what would have happened?”

“Hadn’t existed when?” asked the Eighth Doctor. “As a human or an Eternal?”

“As a human,” said the Twelfth Doctor, ignoring the looks of shock on the faces of the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. “If the Guardians had killed her when they had found her.”

“You mean what would the Other have done,” said the Eighth Doctor, his brow furrowing in concentration. “He, well...I don’t suppose he would have jumped into the loom then. No point in being reborn if Arkytior was dead. He would have sought revenge.”

“One of the most powerful Time Lords in existence, hell-bent on revenge,” said the Twelfth Doctor, nodding along. “Not exactly something to be trifled with, is it?”

“But revenge against whom?” asked the Eighth Doctor, shaking his head. “However powerful he was, he could not go up against the Guardians on his own. And even if he was insane enough to try, he would never have convinced the other Time Lords to join his crusade.”

“Who said he would have asked politely?” muttered the Twelfth Doctor darkly.

“Even if we assume this to be a possible timeline, how would the Valeyard even know about it?” asked the Eighth Doctor.

The Twelfth Doctor froze and ran his hand over his face. “Oh no,” he murmured and then shut his eyes tightly. “Stupid, stupid, stupid Doctor. Oh, Doctor, you have been so stupid. It was in front of you all along. Stupid, stupid…”

“Oi, stop,” interrupted the Ninth Doctor. “Let me see if we all have this straight. The story of Arkytior and the Other is...us? Rose and us?”

“We all got that part,” said the Tenth Doctor impatiently. “What’s causing grandpa over there to lose his mind?”

The Twelfth Doctor stopped berating himself and glared at his Tenth self. “Shut it, skinny,” he snapped. “The way that the Valeyard was created, well, let’s just say that he didn’t have much company where he was. In fact, there was only one other Time Lord there. And if there was anyone who would know about the Other’s timelines, it would be him.”

“Everyone from the Other’s time is dead,” said the Eleventh Doctor flatly. 

“Not someone who claimed to be immortal,” said the Twelfth Doctor darkly. At the slightly confused looks he got in return, he rolled his eyes. “Rassilon, you morons! The only other person who would know would be Lord Rassilon.”

“And why would Rassilon share this with the Valeyard?” asked the Ninth Doctor shrewdly.

“I doubt the Valeyard gave him a choice,” said the Eleventh Doctor darkly and turned to his Twelfth self. “So you think the Valeyard is trying to alter the course of our personal history which, in some part, is also his own history.”

The Tenth Doctor nodded vigorously. “And the first step would have been to wipe out Rose’s existence,” he said, his eyes going wide. “With her gone, the universe would tilt on its axis. It would latch onto the next strongest timeline.”

“The Gold Guardian said that the only reason they did not kill Arkytior was because she asked for leniency,” said the Eighth Doctor. “If she hadn’t, Arkytior would have been killed. So, it goes to follow that the next strongest timeline would be the Other seeking revenge for her death.”

“But the Valeyard cannot make a Guardian change their mind,” said the Ninth Doctor. “So he took the next best choice and tried to wipe Rose’s human existence.”

“And it’s going to work too,” said the Eleventh Doctor, looking alarmed. “We have no idea where she is and even if we find her, we need the device that the Valeyard used if we ever want to undo this.”

Silence followed this grim pronouncement, before the TARDIS comm. systems suddenly sprang to life.

“Hello?” came the voice from the console, making the five Doctors jump. “Doctor, are you there? It’s Fitz. Please, I think I need your help. Rose hasn’t got long. Please, please, tell me this is reaching you.”

~

_When the light finally died down, the silhouette of a man was visible inside the revival pod. His features were difficult to make out through the translucent glass covering the pod, but as Braxiatel moved forward to power down the machinery, the glass lowered slowly, revealing the head and torso of a tall, well-built man with pale skin and a bald head._

_“Is it him?” asked Leela quietly._

_“Yes, it is him,” said Narvin, his voice just as quiet._

_The man in the pod snapped his eyes open and looked at his surroundings in panic before he saw the assembled group of people in the room. A slow smile lighted his face._

_“Hello, you.”_

“I do not like him,” Leela murmured to Romana as the Master checked his reflection in the mirror and adjusted his new tie.

Upon waking up, he had demanded to have new clothes to fit his new body before discussing anything and after much arguing, Narvin had led him away to the wardrobes. He had perused the shelves with pursed lips before choosing a smart black suit, white shirt and black tie. He had emerged after getting dressed, but was yet to discuss anything of importance.

“I don’t like you either, savage,” he said, examining his bald head with a smile. “It is quite a distinguished look, isn’t it?” he asked the room at random.

Leela gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the knife, but Romana shook her head. “Enough of this,” said Romana, using her President-voice. “You are still newly revived. Do not make me give me an order to revert the process.”

The Master looked vaguely amused at the threat but he nodded slowly and turned around to face her. “Very well,” he said, crossing his hands at his back. “I assume you did not revive me for my sparkling presence then?”

“The Valeyard has returned,” said Braxiatel sternly. “You claimed…”

“I know what I claimed,” interrupted the Master. “And yes, I will lend my assistance to help thwart him, of course,” he said, adding a slight bow towards Romana at the end. “But I require something first.”

“Your entire life cycle has been revived,” said Narvin flatly. “All 13 lives.”

The Master smirked. “It’s a start,” he said. “I also require a Time Ring and the Valeyard’s biosignature.”

“You shall have both,” said Braxiatel. He looked a little hesitant saying the next part. “The Valeyard has also taken a hostage.”

“Do tell,” said the Master, eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement.

“Her name is Rose Tyler,” said Romana stiffly. 

“Rose Tyler?” asked the Master, raising his eyebrows before his expression cleared. “Oh, it can’t have been.” He turned to Braxiatel who looked very uncomfortable now. “I always told you it would be him and not you. And he found his Arkytior? How wonderful!”

Braxiatel’s face was like stone. “I shall have the Time Ring and biosignature brought to you,” he said. 

“Excellent,” said the Master, smiling widely and turning to Romana. “You may count on me to see this through successfully. Rest assured, the Valeyard shan’t be a problem for much longer.”


	19. The Best Enemy: The Terrible Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of adventure #5 'The Best Enemy'.
> 
> WARNING FOR POSSIBLE CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER. I am so sorry.
> 
> Thanks to Vampiyaa, as always.

_Previously_

_Silence followed this grim pronouncement, before the TARDIS comm. systems suddenly sprang to life._

_“Hello?” came the voice from the console, making the five Doctors jump. “Doctor, are you there? It’s Fitz. Please, I think I need your help. Rose hasn’t got long. Please, please, tell me this is reaching you.”_

It was the Eighth Doctor who jolted into action first and rushed towards the console. “Fitz?” he asked, not noticing the grim look that passed over his Twelfth self’s face. “Fitz, can you hear me?”

“Doctor?” came Fitz’s voice. “Oh god, Doctor, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice.”

“Where are you, Fitz?” asked the Eighth Doctor, voice tinged with worry. 

“I’m not sure,” he said. “The Valeyard...he...I’m so sorry, Doctor. I thought and then he...I just...I’m sorry.”

“Fitz,” said the Eighth Doctor, trying to sound calm. “Slow down and finish your sentences.”

There was a pause from his end before he spoke again. “The Valeyard found me in New York. I did something stupid...I trusted him,” said Fitz, sounding ashamed. “I thought he was helping me.”

“The Valeyard is very manipulative. I am sure it was not your fault, Fitz,” said the Twelfth Doctor.

“Who’s that?” asked Fitz, jumping at the Scottish voice.

“Never mind him,” said the Eighth Doctor, shooting a glare at his Twelfth self, who ignored him. “Are you in the Valeyard’s TARDIS now?”

“Yes,” said Fitz. “He’s outside, with Rose.”

The Doctors hissed collectively at the thought of the Valeyard being anywhere near Rose. “Fitz,” said the Eighth Doctor, drawing on every bit of calm he possessed. “Do you know what the Valeyard used to create this disaster?”

“Yes,” said Fitz, at once. “He called it the Conceptual Bomb. Said he got it from the Vess. He took me to visit Rose’s mum, back before Rose had ever been born.”

“And he implanted the idea in her head that she couldn’t have children,” finished the Eighth Doctor as the picture became clearer. “Amplified by the Conceptual Bomb, it threw Rose’s existence in the wind.”

“Yes,” said Fitz. “Doctor, she is fading away. The Valeyard thinks it won’t be much longer.”

“Alright,” said the Twelfth Doctor sharply. “Fitz, do exactly as I say.”

“You still haven’t told me who you are,” said Fitz in confusion.

“Fitz, just listen to him,” said the Eighth Doctor, looking at his Twelfth self, who seemed to be the only one of them who looked like he had a plan of some kind.

“Alright,” said Fitz reluctantly.

“Do you know where the bomb is?” asked the Twelfth Doctor.

“It’s wired to the console but only the Valeyard has the controls to it,” said Fitz regretfully. “He doesn’t let go of it.”

“Good,” said the Twelfth Doctor, looking slightly relieved, much to the surprise of everyone else. “So, here’s what you do.”

~

The Valeyard tried not to smile too much as he watched Rose’s outline get fainter and fainter. It was working. After centuries of preparation, he had finally achieved what he had wanted. It didn’t matter that by the time this was all over, even he would be a mere memory. He would have fulfilled his life’s dream. Rassilon had helped him so much without even realising it and had paid the price with his own life for it. It was the one death that the Valeyard refused to mourn. If Rassilon hadn’t done what he had, none of this would have happened.

The Other and Arkytior had got away from the Guardians and they would have stayed safe, if Rassilon hadn’t betrayed them. He doubted the Other had known that Rassilon had been the one to let the Guardians past the shields and deliberately kept him away in meetings while the Guardians went straight for Arkytior. And thus, history had been written.

Never mind the Golden Age where the Other would have led Gallifrey to glory with his beloved by his side. Gallifrey would have ascended beyond anything Rassilon could have even dreamed of. There had been a reason, after all, why the Guardians had wanted the Other dead. Rassilon’s reasons had been born purely from envy, but the Guardians had seen a threat to their own existence if Gallifrey had been permitted to evolve under the Other’s vision. 

But now, Gallifrey would ascend just as it should have all along. The Other might not have his beloved anymore, but once the timeline solidified, he would be able to lead them to a glorious new future where the Other would never become the Doctor and the Doctor would never become the Valeyard. A golden future, albeit without their love, but a wondrous one just the same.

His musings were interrupted by the clanging of the Cloister Bell from his TARDIS. His lip curled in anger and he set off towards the black police box, his fists clenched in anger. When he walked inside, he found Fitz standing at the console, holding a fire extinguisher and wearing a sheepish expression.

“What did you do?” snapped the Valeyard.

“Toaster went up in flames, sorry,” said Fitz, pointing to an unrecognisable hunk of burnt metal near his feet. 

“Why were you using the toaster in here, you simple-minded idiot?” demanded the Valeyard.

“I wasn’t,” said Fitz defensively. “When it caught on fire, I tried picking it up and running out here so I could throw it outside. But then I dropped it and I had to get the fire extinguisher and then your TARDIS started making all the ruckus…”

“Get out,” said the Valeyard, glaring at him. “Get out of my TARDIS.”

Fitz set the fire extinguisher and ran out of the TARDIS quickly, hiding his smile as he went outside. He broke out into a sprint as soon as the doors closed behind him and made a beeline for Rose.

Rose was understandably hostile when she saw him and stood up defiantly. “What?” she asked sharply.

“I’m an idiot,” he blurted out. “And after this is over, you can yell at me, throw me out into space or whatever you want to do. But right now, you have to go.”

Rose stared at him in shock. “Fitz…”

“Rose, please,” he said. “I created a distraction and I have this for you.” He tossed her something that she caught instinctively. “It’s the disruptor from the Conceptual Bomb. I couldn’t destroy the whole thing ‘cos the Valeyard has the controls but the Doctor told me how to take this component from it. It will create a single second of displacement and take you out of this universe.”

Rose’s eyes became wider and wider as he talked. “You spoke to the Doctor?” she asked.

“Yes, he says he loves you and that he is on his way to you,” said Fitz, casting a nervous look back towards the Valeyard’s TARDIS. “You have to go before the Valeyard sees us talking.”

Rose looked down at the component in her hand and then back up at Fitz. “You have to come with me,” she said.

“I can’t,” he said, shaking his head.

“If the Valeyard finds out you helped me, he’ll kill you,” said Rose frantically.

“No, he won’t,” said Fitz, his voice shaking only slightly. “The Doctor has our coordinates. He’s on his way here.”

“Then why can’t I stay?” asked Rose.

“Because there isn’t enough time,” he said, nodding towards her faint presence. “You’ll have died before he gets here. The displacement will transport you to a different universe. He called it a...uh, pocket universe. It will stabilise you until he can get the Conceptual Bomb and break the damn thing.”

Rose still looked reluctant to leave him and Fitz smiled bravely at her, though his lips trembled slightly. “Let me make up for what I did by saving you, Rose,” he said. “I helped the Valeyard and it has been the biggest mistake of my life. Please let me save you.”

Rose threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Fitz hugged her back, alarmed at how flimsy she felt against him, as if she wasn’t properly there.

“Be safe, Fitz,” said Rose, pulling away. “And thank you for saving my life.”

Fitz nodded and smiled weakly as Rose activated the disruptor and vanished instantly. His smile fell and the fear returned as he looked towards the Valeyard’s TARDIS, his heart pounding in his chest. 

“Please, Doctor,” he murmured under his breath. “Please get here quickly.”

~

Rose landed hard on the ground and the disruptor fell from her hand. She groaned in pain and sat up slowly, realising that she was in the oddest place she had ever seen. The ground was a deep purple in colour and the sky was a dark shade of pink. All around her were twisting black trees without any sort of leaves or flowers on them. The air smelled stale and there was a deathly silence around her.

A shiver of fear ran down her spine as she stood up and looked around. Nothing stood out to her and there were only those dead, black trees any which way she looked. She glanced down at herself and realised that she was no longer fading away. The Doctor’s plan had worked and the disruptor had brought her to a pocket universe, away from the influence of the Conceptual Bomb.

Feeling heartened, Rose tried to see if there was somewhere she could find to stay out of sight of anything that inhabited this universe when she was abruptly hit with a memory.

_The ground was still a deep purple and the sky was still a dark pink but the trees were blooming golden and birds sang in the trees as the woman in the golden dress walked slowly along the twisting path, the hood of her shimmering cloak drawn up to hide her face. No one else was around, but the woman kept her head down while she kept a steady pace and walked until she reached the base of the mountain._

_Laid out in front of her were polished black stairs leading up the mountain to a castle crafted out of pure white stone. She paused at the base of the stairs and waited patiently before the stairs morphed into the same white colour as the castle. She glided forward then and walked up the stairs with the same steady pace until she reached the castle’s open doors._

_There was no one waiting to greet her and it appeared that she did not expect there to be anyone either. She merely walked through the empty hallway at the entrance of the castle until she arrived at a long chamber that ended at a slightly elevated altar. It was dark inside the chamber but as soon as her foot crossed the threshold, torches lit up on either side of her and continued to light her way as she walked towards the altar. By the time she reached the altar, the entire chamber was blazing with light._

_The woman stopped at the base of the altar and went down on one knee, her head bent in respect._

_“Stand, my wolf,” echoed the voice around her and the woman stood up. “Let me look at you.”_

_The woman dutifully lowered her hood and looked up at the altar._

The memory ended and Rose gasped, realising that she had been watching Arkytior. Or her memory, at least. She had been here before. Before this place, whatever it was, had turned into this destroyed husk rather than the splendorous wonder she had seen in her memories.

She stumbled forward towards the general direction that she remembered Arkytior going and through the path, she came across the same mountain that she had seen before. The stairs were the unwelcome polished black but surprisingly, so was the castle. Rose didn’t dare approach it, and stood away from it when the memory decided to continue.

_She couldn’t see the face of the person who was speaking, but she knew who he was. She was one of his wolves, after all._

_“I am humbled that you requested to see me, Lord Fenric,” she said._

_“Arkytior, my favourite daughter, I have longed to meet you for quite some time now,” said Fenric warmly. “You are my greatest asset, my wolf, far above the others.”_

_“I am honoured you think so, my lord,” she said, lowering her gaze bashfully._

_“I know the Guardians prefer to communicate with the Eternals but what I am about to tell you requires you to be in my presence,” he said. “The Guardians all agree that you are the ideal candidate for this task.”_

_“I shall not disappoint you, my lord,” she said fervently._

_“I know you will not.” It was said warmly but with an undercurrent of warning that sent a flash of fear through Arkytior. “Tell me, young wolf, what do you know of Gallifrey?”_

_Arkytior looked a little puzzled but collected herself quickly. “It is the domain of the beings who are calling themselves Time Lords, my lord,” she said. “It used to be ruled by the Pythia…”_

_“Not the history,” interrupted Fenric. “What do you know about their current status?”_

_“They have mastered time travel,” said Arkytior at once. “Their founders claim to have also discovered a path that brings them closer to immortality. With the way things are going, they are bound to ascend to the level of Eternals in a matter of a few short millennia.”_

_“Very good, Arkytior,” said Fenric. “I am glad you recognise the danger then.”_

_Arkytior opened her mouth to say that it wasn’t danger but snapped it shut. She did not even want to think about what would happen if she talked back to Fenric. “Yes, my lord,” she said simply._

_“Your task is simple, my wolf,” said Fenric, his voice hardening. “You must eliminate one of the founders. Without him, the Time Lords will still ascend but not beyond their means. Do you understand?”_

_“I…” Arkytior was at a loss for words but she nodded. “Yes, I understand.”_

_“Good,” said Fenric. “The Gold Guardian has agreed to assist you but you must be the one to kill him. Do not fail me.”_

_An ominous silence followed the last four words and Arkytior started to tremble slightly, knowing that the punishment would be serious if she failed in her task. Fenric could torture her for the rest of eternity and put her back together before beginning all over again._

_“I am glad we understand each other, my wolf,” he said in a warm tone that made Arkytior flinch, though she did her best to stay still and silent._

_“Go now, my favourite wolf,” he said, putting an odd emphasis on the word ‘favourite’ which made her feel even more terrified than before._

_“Yes, my lord,” she said and then sank into a bow before turning around and hurrying away from the castle._

_“Remember, my wolf, you cannot fail.”_

Rose gasped and realised that she was trembling too, just like Arkytior had been when facing Fenric. She remembered Ace telling her how she still had nightmares about Fenric whispering in her ear and for the first time in living memory, Rose could feel herself resenting the connection to Fenric’s wolves.

She glanced at the castle and backed away quickly, now aware whose domain it was. She had barely taken a few steps when the dreaded voice from her memory echoed around her.

“You came back, my bad wolf. How long I have waited.”

Terror seized Rose’s heart and she glanced around, trying to discern which way would be the best way to run towards.

“You were out of my reach before, my bad wolf, but no more. You failed me. And now, there is no escape.”

~

The Valeyard nudged the burnt toaster with his foot and grimaced. There was a reason he travelled alone. Companions were a waste of time and space. He had chosen Fitz due to how susceptible he was to suggestion but sometimes, the Valeyard reckoned that the boy was more trouble than he was worth. Setting the toaster on fire indeed.

That made him pause. Fitz was slightly clumsy and often tried to pretend like he was better than he actually was, but he wasn’t completely stupid. Nor was he the sort of person to pick up a burning toaster and run with it. The Valeyard’s face abruptly went smooth. He would not dare.

He was at the console in two steps and checked outgoing communications. His mouth drew into a thin line. That stupid, stupid human boy. He examined the Conceptual Bomb and saw that the disruptor was missing.

The Valeyard let out a roar of anger that echoed around the console. He left the TARDIS in long, angry strides, clutching something in his robes. He saw Fitz standing near where Rose had been sitting and he moved towards him in anger. He knew that Rose would be long gone and he would have to go after her but first, he intended to take care of Fitz Kreiner.

Fitz’s eyes went wide when he saw the Valeyard walking towards him, practically spitting fire, and he started to back away in fear. The Valeyard did not even pause and drew out his laser screwdriver from his robes.

“I can explain,” began Fitz but the Valeyard aimed the laser screwdriver at his gut and moved it in a slashing motion.

Fitz’s eyes went round and he collapsed to the ground as a wide wound sliced his abdomen open. Blood spurted from his mouth and began dripping onto the white sand and he crumpled in unimaginable pain.

The Valeyard cast a disdainful look towards a gasping Fitz and turned away to go back to his TARDIS. He dematerialised a moment later, leaving Fitz to bleed out in the sand.


	20. The Best Enemy: Sigh No More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHARACTER DEATH AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER.
> 
> Beta by Vampiyaa

Rose broke into a dead sprint away from Fenric’s castle. The twisted black trees seemed sinister as she navigated past them, trying to get as far away as she could. 

She could hear the sound of pursuit behind her, but when she turned around to look, there would be no one there. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she did not dare slow down for fear of falling into Fenric’s clutches. She was not sure if it was the fear that she had gleaned from Arkytior’s memories or the threatening words she had heard, but she found herself far more terrified than expected. 

“You cannot escape me, my bad wolf,” hissed Fenric in anger, his voice echoing all around Rose. “This is my world. I control it.”

As if on cue, the path in front of her was abruptly covered in sharp brambles of the same black colour as the trees, blocking her way forward. Rose skidded to a halt before she hurt herself and whipped around in fear.

“Not only did you fail in your task, you betrayed me,” continued Fenric angrily. “You chose that infernal Time Lord over your loyalties to _me_.”

Rose’s heart skipped a beat in fear and she bolted in the other direction, trying to go back to the place where she had first landed. There had to be a way out and even if there wasn’t, anywhere was better than being near Fenric. She passed through a thick grouping of trees and emerged onto the other side with only a small scratch on her calf. She winced at the blood running down her leg but it looked shallow, so she ignored it and decided to continue forward when she realised that she was back in front of the black castle yet again, even though she had run in a completely opposite direction.

“You did not imagine that your plan to simply run was going to work, did you?” asked Fenric in a tone that implied that he was amused. “I taught you better than that. But…” His voice turned hard yet again. “But now I have you back. Mine to do as I please. Until you have relearned everything I ever taught you. Until you are loyal to no one but me.”

His words made Rose recoil. The way he took pleasure in his twisted plans for her, the way he spoke to her as if he had a right to her...it made her skin crawl.

She started backing away slowly, fully intending to fight ‘til the very end. The Doctor was coming for her and she only had to evade Fenric until then. She could do it. She was certainly not going to make it easy on Fenric by giving up.

Fenric had fallen silent, so Rose turned away from the castle and ran again, though she kept looking over her shoulder as she did. She had to have been running for only a minute or so and she looked behind yet again when felt herself run into a solid chest.

She screamed, in shock more than anything, at the bald man who had appeared in front of her, but he didn’t give her a chance to escape before he grabbed her wrist and grinned at her.

“Make a wish,” he said and Rose’s eyes closed instinctively. 

A moment later, the air around her changed and her legs nearly gave out at the sudden dizziness that she felt. Her mysterious captor’s grip on her wrist kept her steady and Rose waited long enough to make sure she could stand on her own before she snatched her wrist from his grip and backed away.

“Who are you?” she asked, heart thudding in her chest in pure terror.

He seemed unperturbed by their less than ideal mode of transport and simply smiled at her as he adjusted the black tie around his neck. “A thank you would have been nice, Rose Tyler,” he said, his voice oddly light as if nothing made him happier than seeing her. “But I suppose you are to be forgiven. You were in a bit of a nasty muddle there, weren’t you? In Fenric’s grip, nearly.” He tutted sympathetically but it seemed insincere to Rose who fixed him with a cold glare.

“Who _are_ you?” asked Rose again.

His smile widened slowly. “I see you are not to be deterred,” he said. “Well, Rose Tyler, I suppose I shall tell you.” His smile turned colder and a glint appeared in his curious grey eyes. “I am the Master, and I really don’t think I like saying this anymore, but you will obey me.”

~

_It was a nice place to die_ , was oddly enough the only thought in Fitz’s mind. The sand was bright and white. It squeaked when they walked on it. The sky was a cornflower blue, the sun was bright and the turquoise water was only a handful of steps away from where he lay bleeding on the beach. 

He had never been to a beach like this before. Brighton didn’t count and even with all his travels with the Doctor and Rose and later, the Valeyard, he had curiously never been to a beach. He supposed he could cross it off his list right now. _And cross himself off too, for that matter_ , he thought suddenly, getting an insane urge to giggle.

His abdomen had stopped hurting a long time ago now and Fitz couldn’t move any of his limbs which was what was really bothering him. He wanted to brush off that thick paste of blood and sand from his body. And he wanted to wipe the blood dripping from his mouth too. And he felt like he could use a thicker jacket because he was sure the beach wasn’t supposed to be this cold when the sun was still high in the sky. Especially since he could feel himself sweating.

Absurdly, he thought of Rina. She had died so quickly. One smooth stroke of a blade and just like that, everything she had ever been had been reduced to a lifeless body covered in blood. Now he supposed it was his turn. That time, he did giggle. At least, he thought he did. It was difficult to tell anymore. The wind seemed to be picking up too. Now he really wished he had a thicker jacket. 

The wind seemed to be sounding louder as well until Fitz thought it sounded rather like the TARDIS materialising. He smiled at the thought because he knew that it was too late either way and the world around him was getting darker even though evening was far, far away. 

There was a final thud that usually signalled the TARDIS landing but Fitz turned his gaze skyward and waited for it to get warm again.

~

Rose stared at the man in shock. “The Master?” she asked in disbelief. 

The Master smiled indulgently at her. “The man, the myth, the legend,” he said, inclining his head in a bow. “I would ask how you know me, but considering who you are, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“You set that trap in the Eye of Harmony,” said Rose. It was the first thing that came to mind at the mention of his name. 

The Master looked delighted. “Oh? That worked? How exciting!” he enthused. “Between you and me, it was a bit of an afterthought,” he added in a low voice as if imparting a secret.

Rose crossed her arms in front of her. “How do you know who I am? And where to find me, for that matter?” she asked, undeterred by his falsely cheerful disposition.

He didn’t seem to take offence to her cautiousness. “The Time Lords resurrected me,” he said. “They said you had been taken hostage by the Valeyard and I volunteered my services to rescue you.”

Rose surveyed him with narrowed eyes to look for signs of deceit but he merely smiled at her. “Why?” she asked, looking around at her surroundings for the first time. They appeared to be in the middle of a park and if she squinted, she could see London’s skyline through the growing darkness.

The Master raised his eyebrows. “Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to rescue you?” he asked.

“Yes, to be honest,” said Rose at once. “You tried to kill the Doctor before and you know nothing about me. Why would you want to help?”

“See, that’s where you are wrong,” he said. “I do know a fair bit about you. Every Time Tot on Gallifrey has, at one point, smuggled in the book about the Other and Arkytior under their Chapter Cardinal’s nose to read the forbidden story.” He smiled when Rose shifted uncomfortably. “And as to how I knew that it was you specifically, was because I knew that the Other was the Doctor.”

Despite herself, Rose was curious. “How?” she asked.

The Master’s smile widened and he looked over her shoulder at someone. “I was told by someone with an extremely personal knowledge of the fact a long time ago,” he said.

The words made Rose’s stomach clench in fear but she steeled herself and turned around. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the Valeyard standing behind her, looking like he was ready to spit fire from his eyes.

“She’s all yours,” said the Master to the Valeyard.

Rose whirled around to glare at him. “I thought the Time Lords sent you,” she hissed.

“They did,” said the Master, unperturbed. “But the Valeyard and I...go back, as you would say. And now, we both have what we wanted. I have an entirely new life cycle and the Valeyard has you to rewrite time the way he has always wanted it rewritten.”

“That will do,” said the Valeyard through gritted teeth.

The Master got a contemplative look on his face before he threw his head back and laughed airily. “Oh, you never change, do you?” he asked, looking at the Valeyard. “Even with all that evil, you still possess that bit of sentimentality. A need to protect her, perhaps?”

Rose looked between them in confusion. The Master looked absurdly pleased with himself while the Valeyard was glaring at him in anger. “What’s he talking about?” she asked the Valeyard.

The Valeyard’s face was like stone as he carefully avoided looking at Rose. “The TARDIS,” was all he said. “Now.”

“Oh, come now,” said the Master, sounding rather like a child being denied a particularly favourite bedtime story. “You might as well tell her. It is all because of her timeline, after all. It would never have worked otherwise.”

“What wouldn’t?” asked Rose insistently.

The Master smirked at the Valeyard’s furious face before turning to Rose. “His plan, of course,” he said. “The one that involves the Other becoming the only ruler Gallifrey shall ever have until the end of time itself.”

~

The Doctors were cautious as they landed the TARDIS. The Valeyard could very well have set a trap once he had seen Rose disappear and the last thing they wanted to do was put the timelines in even more jeopardy than they already were.

However, when they checked the scanner, they found the beach utterly devoid of the Valeyard’s TARDIS. The only thing on the beach was Fitz’s crumpled form in the sand.

The Eighth Doctor was out of the TARDIS and towards Fitz in a shot as soon as he had seen it. He knelt in the sand and pressed a shaking hand to his neck to check for a pulse. To his greatest shock, Fitz stirred slightly and blinked his eyes open blearily.

“Fitz,” said the Doctor in relief, rummaging through his coat for his stethoscope as his eyes assessed the wound on his abdomen. “Fitz, can you hear me?”

“Should be warm,” murmured Fitz, his gaze unfocused.

The Doctor listened to his heartbeat and looked at the blood pooled around his body. He glanced at his other selves who seemed horrified with the knowledge he refused to accept.

“Fitz,” he said again, looking at him. 

“Don’t like the blood,” said Fitz, apparently not having heard him.

The Ninth Doctor knelt on his other side and assessed his pulse and heartbeat with practised hands of a soldier. “Pulse is weak. He is tachycardic,” he said in a calm, detached voice before taking note of the blood. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Can we move him?” asked the Eighth Doctor, even though he knew the answer.

The Ninth Doctor looked at his younger self’s face and shook his head curtly. “The wound is too wide,” he said. “If we move him, we risk him bleeding out even faster, among other things.”

The Eighth Doctor nodded. “One of you get the emergency kit from the TARDIS,” he said, waving a hand towards his other selves who were silent. “We can start a central line and I’m sure we can get his blood type…”

“Doctor,” interrupted his Eleventh self gently. “It’s too late.”

“It’s not,” snapped the Eighth Doctor and took Fitz’s pale, cold hand in his. “Fitz, you are going to be just fine. Do you hear me? You are going to be alright.”

Fitz’s eyes had fallen shut yet again and though he was breathing still, it was apparent to everyone that he didn’t have long.

“Let him go, Doctor,” said the Tenth Doctor in a soft tone.

“It’s only hypovolemic shock. He can recover,” said the Eighth Doctor insistently, refusing to see the pitying looks on his older selves’ faces. “Let me start a central line.”

The Twelfth Doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sit with him,” he said, his authoritative voice calm for once. “Hold his hand.”

“No!” shouted the Eighth Doctor. “He is still alive and I refuse to give up on him while he is still breathing.”

There was silence before the Ninth Doctor reached into his leather jacket and drew out a portable dermal regenerator. Without a word, he started sewing up Fitz’s wound. The Eighth Doctor’s lips trembled as he realised that they were right and Fitz was not going to survive this. Even if they cleaned his wound and patched up the skin, he had lost nearly half his blood and his body had been in shock for a long time. He appreciated his Ninth self cleaning up the wound but knew that it was an act of respect for the dying man rather than an attempt to save his life.

He sank into the sand and took Fitz’s hand in both of his. “It’s okay, Fitz,” he said, feeling tears blur his vision. “It’s okay.”

Fitz’s eyes remained closed and the Doctor held on, murmuring words of comfort, not knowing if Fitz even heard them. When his breathing faltered and finally stopped, the Doctor pressed his cold hand to his hearts and held back sobs. His other selves were silent as they let him mourn and none of them said a word when they saw a few tears escape him.

A few minutes later, the Doctor gently placed Fitz’s hand back on his still chest and crossed his other hand over it. He took off his cravat and wiped the blood and sweat from his face tenderly before tossing the piece of silk away. He brushed back the hair from Fitz’s forehead and placed a small kiss there. Then, with a heavy sigh, he took off his green velvet frockcoat and carefully covered Fitz with it. 

“Thank you, Fitz,” he murmured as he stood. “It was an honour and a privilege knowing you.”

~

The Valeyard was angry, that much was certain. But so was Rose, but she was quiet as she was led into the Valeyard’s TARDIS with the Master following them. Her mind was racing at a thousand miles a minute as she tried to put the pieces together.

Arkytior being charged by Fenric to kill the Other. Arkytior and the Other falling in love and running off to Gallifrey. The Guardians finding them. The Guardians sentencing Arkytior to a mortal life. The Other taking his own life to be reborn. 

Nowhere in there was any indication of the Other ruling the Gallifrey. Unless, he didn’t take his own life. But he would. He had told Rose that much plainly when she had met him. 

_There would be little purpose to go on without you._

The Valeyard’s TARDIS started dematerialising and Rose was shaken from her thoughts. She squared her shoulders and met the Valeyard’s gaze.

“Why didn’t he take his own life?” she asked bluntly, tired of the games.

The Master leaned against the console with an amused look on his face as if this was the best television program in the universe.

The Valeyard, on the other hand, was less pleased with her question. Rose didn’t seem like she was backing down, so he sighed irritably before answering. “The only reason he did that was to be reunited with his beloved,” he said. “If she was never reborn, if there was _no chance_ of her being born again, he would not have taken his own life.”

Rose stared at him in stunned silence. “That’s why you were trying to erase me,” she said, eyes widening in realisation. “That Conceptual Bomb...it made it so that I was never born.”

The Valeyard nodded curtly but otherwise said nothing.

“Why?” asked Rose, looking at him in confusion. “Why would you want him to live like that? All on his own?”

The Valeyard rounded on her in anger. “I do not want him to be alone!” he shouted. “You were betrayed. Rassilon betrayed you both to the Guardians because he was jealous of what the two of you could do together. They would have taken Gallifrey beyond anything this universe could have dreamed of, had it not been for Rassilon’s interference.” He took a few deep breaths. “I can’t stop that from happening but I can sure as hell make certain that he continues to live.”

Rose felt her heart plummet. The Valeyard’s eyes held a certain madness in them and the way he kept switching pronouns made her nervous. He looked like he was coming undone. 

“If the Other never dies, then there won’t be a Doctor and there won’t be you,” said Rose, trying to make him see sense.

The Valeyard laughed, the mad look in his eyes deepening. “I know!” he said, sounding so very pleased. “No desire in our hearts to find our beloved, no need to constantly run from everything...just a strong need to rule and take Gallifrey beyond anything the universe has ever seen. No pain, no betrayals...only power.”

Rose glanced at the Master who was still looking like he was watching an entertaining television show. She swallowed and turned back to the Valeyard.

“If that’s true, then why did you have him come save me from Fenric?” she asked, her voice trembling. “If all you want is that power, then why not just leave me at Fenric’s mercy?”

The Valeyard looked at her desperately. “I never wanted you dead,” he said. “I even looked for a stable timeline where I could take you to the Other, but it wouldn’t have worked. You are two impossibilities in that way,” he added, shaking his head. “And I couldn’t leave you in Fenric’s hands. I could never do that to you.”

Rose’s lips trembled and she felt like screaming and crying all at once. She could see the Valeyard’s sanity slipping with each word and she wondered how long he had been working towards his goal and what had made him lose his grip on everything in this way. He seemed a lot more shaken up since she had seen him back in Fiji and she had a brief moment of concern for Fitz. She swallowed roughly. 

“Where are we going?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “Nowhere,” he said. “At least, you and I are not.”

His words set alarm bells ringing in her head and Rose only had a moment before he lunged towards her and wrapped his hands around her throat.

“I am so sorry, my Rose,” he said, tightening his grip. “I am so very sorry.”


	21. The Best Enemy: Full Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Vampiyaa for the beta.

_Previously_

_“Where are we going?” she asked him._

_He shook his head. “Nowhere,” he said. “At least, you and I are not.”_

_His words set alarm bells ringing in her head and Rose only had a moment before he lunged towards her and wrapped his hands around her throat._

_“I am so sorry, my Rose,” he said, tightening his grip. “I am so very sorry.”_

Rose gasped for air but before she could struggle too much, the Valeyard’s grip slackened and he fell to the ground unconsciousness. She backed away quickly, trying to regain her breath and saw the Master calmly putting away a short truncheon back into his jacket pocket.

“Are you alright, Miss Tyler?” he asked her politely, as if he hadn’t just knocked out the Valeyard. Her expression of disbelief must have shown on her face, since he chuckled lightly. “I was never going to go along with his ridiculous plan. Unravel the whole of reality? Psh!”

“Then why did you bring me to him?” asked Rose, finally finding her voice.

“I needed his TARDIS, of course,” he said, going over to the console and flipping a few switches. “The Conceptual Bomb is still working and we are out of time. The new timeline is already taking shape.”

“It can’t, though,” said Rose. “I’m still here.”

“Yes, but you won’t be for much longer, which is why I’m hurrying to get to our next destination,” he said, piloting the TARDIS frantically.

“Which is what?” asked Rose. “And why didn’t you tell me that this was your plan all along?”

He took a moment to look up from piloting to shoot her a gaze full of condescension. “Oh my dear Rose, you may be a lot of things, but a good liar is not one of them,” he said. “As for our next destination, well, we are going to Gallifrey.”

“Why?” asked Rose, but the TARDIS materialisation sound filled the console room and they landed a moment later with a thud.

“Come on,” said the Master.

“Hold on, what about him?” asked Rose, looking towards the Valeyard’s unconscious form.

“Ah, yes,” said the Master. “Almost forgot about him. We need him for where we are going.”

Rose watched with wide eyes as the Master drew out simple zip ties from his jacket and tied the Valeyard’s hands behind his back before pressing two fingers none too gently against the Valeyard’s forehead, making him wake up with a gasp.

“Wha..?” The Valeyard looked utterly confused.

The Master tutted as he all but lifted the Valeyard to his feet. “Now, don’t strain yourself too much,” he said, taking his arm and marching him towards the doors. “There’s still work to be done.”

“Why are we on Gallifrey?” asked Rose, following the Master and the Valeyard out of the TARDIS. “The Time Lords can’t fix this…” She trailed off when she saw that the Master had landed the TARDIS right in the middle of the Panopticon and there was a whole platoon of Chancellery Guards surrounding the TARDIS.

“Don’t fret,” said the Master, at once. “I come bearing gifts. Tell him that I have brought his Arkytior to him.”

The guards glanced at each other in confusion and Rose was inclined to share that sentiment. She looked at the Master questioningly but he didn’t look at her.

“Let them approach,” ordered a cool voice and Rose’s heart jumped.

The guards parted to reveal a grand throne and Rose’s eyes went wide when she saw the man that sat atop it, wearing a bored expression on his face which tensed when his eyes fell on them.

“Doctor?” asked Rose, before she could help it. Then she looked at him again, and realised that while it was the Doctor’s face, it wasn’t him. Not quite. Unbidden, the Master’s words rang in her mind. _The Other becoming the only ruler Gallifrey shall ever have until the end of time itself._

He got to his feet slowly, his eyes fixed on Rose. Then, seemingly without warning, he shook his head. “Kill her,” he ordered.

“Wait,” said the Master as Rose stood stunned. “It’s her, I swear to you.”

He snorted in reply. “Do you think you are the first to present me with a visage of her to try and sway me?” he asked coldly. “My Arkytior is dead and no power in the universe can bring her back, and believe me, I have tried.” He waved a lazy hand towards his guards. “Kill them all.”

“We’ve met before,” said Rose, as the guards started to approach them. “When the Guardians used the Key to Time.”

“Stop!” ordered the Other and turned his sharp gaze on her. “I have never held the Key to Time.”

“Yes, you have, or you will, at least,” said Rose and took a deep breath. “They didn’t kill me in the original timeline. They sentenced me to a mortal life. My name’s not Arkytior. It’s Rose Tyler. And I am married to the Doctor. He’s a Time Lord who had once been you.”

The Other stared at her and approached her with slow steps, though he kept a wide gap between them. “Do you have proof?” he asked.

“He is proof,” said Rose, pointing at the bound Valeyard. “He tried to change it by wiping my existence from time so that Arkytior would be killed by the Guardians.”

“And who is he?” asked the Other, turning his gaze on the Valeyard.

“He is an amalgamation of the Doctor’s worst evils,” said the Master. “He was born in a universe without time and he learned that he could prevent his own creation as well as the Doctor’s, if he could keep you alive by getting rid of Rose Tyler.”

“Is it true?” asked the Other, looking at the Valeyard.

“Yes,” he admitted. “But I only did it to prevent a worse timeline. Look at you. You are the Lord of Gallifrey. You command an army. You sit on a throne in the Panopticon without opposition. This is the best timeline that there could be. I only did what was always meant to be.”

The Other was silent before he held his hand out to the closest guard. The guard placed what looked like a plain old black cane in his hand. The Master released the Valeyard and put some distance between them quickly. Rose stared in confusion until the Other touched the cane right between the Valeyard’s hearts. The Valeyard screamed in agony and fell to his knees.

Rose gasped and tried to say something but the Master grabbed her elbow and shook his head. The Other held the cane at the Valeyard’s chest, his expression blank as he listened to his screams.

“Stop!” shouted Rose, ignoring the Master’s warning. “You’ll kill him.”

“That is the point,” said the Other, without flinching. “All these years, I waited to know who it was that was responsible for her death and he walks in here expecting praise for making me the monster that I am.” He pressed the cane harder and the Valeyard’s screams got louder. “HOW DARE YOU?”

“Stop it,” shouted Rose and the Other withdrew the cane and pointed it at her instead.

“Give me a reason,” he said.

“You are not a killer,” she said.

“Wrong, try again,” he said. “I have killed so many over the years that I have lost count.”

“But it wasn’t meant to be like this,” protested Rose. “Help us fix this. If you hate this timeline just as much as we do, then help us fix this.”

The Other lowered the cane and stared at her. “You are asking me to unravel this entire timeline for you,” he said.

“Yes,” said Rose, hating how her voice shook as she said it.

“Give me a reason,” he repeated.

Rose nodded slowly and raised her hands to her side as she approached him. The Other tensed but stood where he was as Rose got closer and leaned in to whisper in his ear. The silence was deafening in the Panopticon, broken only by the Valeyard’s pained whimpers.

The Other and Rose drew back and stared at each other for a moment. A beat later, the Other nodded. “Very well,” he said.

“Okay,” nodded Rose, looking relieved. “So, how do we fix it?”

The Other smiled and closed the distance between them to kiss her deeply. Rose barely had time to feel his lips on hers before she felt a bright light in her vision and the feeling of something heavy slamming into her gut. She opened her mouth to scream but found herself flat on her back with the Valeyard’s TARDIS ceiling in her line of sight. She sat up and glanced around to see the Master looking a bit winded but there was no sign of the Valeyard.

“What happened?” asked Rose, holding onto the console to get to her feet.

The Master readjusted his tie and shook his head. “He fixed the timeline in the quickest way he knew how,” he said. At Rose’s blank look, he rolled his eyes. “Two impossibilities touched. The only reason he existed was because you didn’t. When two impossible things come into contact, things go boom and only one exists. You were a much stronger possibility while his existence had only just solidified. Hence, you survived when you touched and he was wiped from time. Though, I am curious as to what you whispered to him.”

“His name,” said Rose shortly. “But the Doctor’s still alive, isn’t he?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” said the Master. “Things snapped back into place as soon as he kissed you. The Guardians still condemn Arkytior to a mortal life, the Other did jump in the looms, yada yada yada and history happened just as it always has.”

“Then what happened to the Valeyard?” she asked.

The Master shrugged. “I doubt he had enough life force left in him to survive the timeline resetting. Even if the Other hadn’t tortured him, he wouldn’t have lived. You saw the way he was, didn’t you?” He made a gesture meant to indicate a loose screw. “He was losing it long before the timeline reset.”

Rose bit back tears and nodded. “So, everything is where it’s supposed to be?” she asked.

“Nearly, yes,” nodded the Master. “I suppose I could get you to the Doctor now.”

Rose looked at him. “Why did you help?” she asked. “You didn’t have to but you still took me to that fledgling timeline with the Other. You wanted this timeline to prevail over that one too. Why?”

The Master smirked. “I do not take kindly to being subjugated,” he said. “This timeline, chaotic as it might be, is quite conducive to me. I have thirteen lives back and this TARDIS too, from the look of things.” He smirked and leaned in closer to Rose as if imparting a secret. “And just between you and me, a universe without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about.”

~

The TARDIS sat on a deserted asteroid in the solar system, the only one of its kind with natural breathable air and no population. The five Doctors walked back inside the TARDIS, the waiting getting on their nerves. A few hours ago, they had received coordinates to this place from the Valeyard’s TARDIS but so far, there had been no sign of anyone.

At the Ninth Doctor’s insistence, they had given Fitz a proper burial on the asteroid. It would remain undisturbed and the Eighth Doctor had even built a small perception filter to keep it safe from any travellers who might happen upon it.

“I need to check those coordinates again,” muttered the Eighth Doctor, moving towards the console.

“The coordinates are fine,” said the Twelfth Doctor, calmly blocking his way.

“Then let me try and establish communications with the other TARDIS,” he protested.

“We’ve tried that already,” the Eleventh Doctor pointed out. “Besides…”

His words were cut off by the sound of a materialising TARDIS outside. The Doctors exchanged a quick look before they moved as one towards the door. However, the Eighth Doctor pushed past them and turned around to point at the rest of his selves. “Stay here,” he ordered and left, closing the doors behind himself.

“Stay here? _Stay here_?” sputtered the Tenth Doctor indignantly. “Who does he think he is?”

“He’s right,” said the Ninth Doctor. “If he needs help, he’ll ask.”

The rest of the Doctors seemed reluctant but nodded under the cool gaze of their ninth self. Meanwhile, the Eighth Doctor walked out of his TARDIS in time to see a black police box materialising a few yards in front of him. It landed with a thud and the exterior changed immediately to resemble one of the many tall boulders on the asteroid.

Brow furrowing, the Doctor started to walk towards it but he heard a slight scuffle before Rose emerged from behind the boulder, looking tired but utterly glorious. As soon as her gaze fell on the Doctor, she broke out into a sprint and threw herself in his arms. The Doctor caught her expertly and muffled a groan of relief into her neck as he held her tightly, relief filling his hearts and mind when she reached out to him voluntarily and he felt their bond rejoice in their reunion.

There was a sound of a throat clearing and the Doctor drew Rose behind him instinctively. “Master?” he asked, stunned.

“Oh, my, my, Doctor,” said the Master, sounding utterly delighted. “I do so love it when you say my name.”

“I knew it!” said the Doctor angrily. “I knew that you had to be behind all of this. When I couldn’t find Rose in the pocket universe, I knew someone else had taken her. Not the Valeyard, no, I made sure of that. So it had to be someone he had worked with before.”

“Doctor,” interrupted Rose. “Doctor, stop.” The Doctor looked at Rose in confusion. “He helped,” she said. “Believe it or not, he helped me.”

The Doctor turned back to the Master, disbelief written clearly all over his face. “Why?” he asked finally.

The Master adjusted the lapels of his jacket and smirked. “The Time Lords offered me a whole new life cycle if I assisted,” he said. “So I took them up on their offer. Everything else I did, including rescuing your lovely new wife, I did it to ensure that I would live long enough to enjoy all thirteen of my new lives.”

“And I suppose I’ll just have to take your word for that?” asked the Doctor.

The Master’s smirk widened. “Yes, I suppose you will just have to,” he said.

The Doctor tightened his grip on Rose and nodded at the Master. “Thank you,” he said, sounding sincere despite the tension rolling off him.

“Of course,” nodded the Master. “I’ll just say you owe me one. Besides, the universe isn’t such a big place after all. I’m sure we will run into each other again. One way or another.”

With that, he turned to go back into his TARDIS. He was almost behind the boulder when he turned back. “Oh, and,” he said, smiling at them. “It was very nice meeting you, Rose Tyler.”

Rose nodded back at him and he whistled jauntily as he walked into his TARDIS and dematerialised a moment later. The Doctor exhaled heavily before he turned to Rose and ran his knuckles gently over her cheek. “Tell me everything,” he said.

She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his and letting the events play out over the bond. It was physically and mentally draining but she kept on until she had shown him everything from the moment she had disappeared to running into his arms a few minutes ago. When she was done, she let her head fall on his shoulder, giving him time to process it all.

A few seconds later, the Doctor lifted her into his arms but instead of going to the TARDIS, he carried her towards the heather-covered ground near the boulders. He sat down with Rose on his lap and ran his fingers through her hair, occasionally brushing his lips against her forehead. Rose closed her eyes and let his gentle actions soothe her frazzled psyche and exhausted body. Several long minutes later, Rose raised her head to meet his gaze and saw anguish written clearly across his features.

Dread filling her heart, Rose placed her palm against his cheek. “Tell me everything,” she said, repeating his words back to him.

He closed his eyes briefly and turned his head to kiss her wrist. The feeling of dread in Rose’s heart worsened. He was about to lean forward to initiate a deeper connection to do what Rose had done before but the TARDIS door opened and a tall man in a brown pinstriped suit leaned out with an apologetic look on his face.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “But we don’t have long. We need to take care of a few memories.”

Rose glanced back at the Doctor, who nodded in irritation at the stranger. “Who is he?” asked Rose as they got to their feet, though they didn’t let go of each other.

The Doctor grimaced. “He’s me,” he said. “My tenth self. Well, not quite, since his memories…”

“Actually,” interrupted the Tenth Doctor, waving his left hand at them, which showed a wedding ring on it. “That’s what I meant. We don’t have long because the timeline has snapped back in place. Things are nearly back where they should be.”

Rose glanced at her husband as they followed his tenth self back inside the TARDIS. There were three other men inside, and Rose guessed that they must be the Doctor too. His future selves.

“Is it allowed?” she asked her husband. “For us to remember seeing what your future selves look like?”

“No,” answered the one in the leather jacket with a soft smile towards her. “His memories will lock themselves but…”

“But you’ll need to wipe my memories of seeing you,” nodded Rose.

“I won’t erase much, just the memories of our faces,” said the grey-haired one.

Rose bit her lip but nodded, glancing at the youngest-appearing one of them, who hadn’t said a word but was beaming at her just the same. Her husband squeezed her hand. “I’ll be right here,” he said.

The grey-haired Doctor approached them. “I won’t hurt you,” he said.

“I know,” said Rose and closed her eyes as he cupped her face and touched his fingers to her temple. She felt something cool trickle into her mind and then his hands withdrew from her face. “Is that it?” she asked.

“The memories will disappear once we do,” said the pinstriped Doctor.

“Speak of the devil,” said the Ninth Doctor, glancing at his hand which phased in and out of existence. “Goodbye, love,” he said, smiling at Rose before vanishing completely.

“Ooh, me next,” said the Tenth Doctor. Ignoring the warning glare that his eighth self shot him, he took Rose’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Be seeing you, darling.”

Rose couldn’t help but smile at his flirtatious wink, so very different from the sweet grin of the Doctor in the leather jacket. He didn’t stop looking at Rose until the moment he vanished. The youngest one in the tweed jacket and bow tie bounced over to them in awkward movements that made Rose fear for his safety, but he made it to them without falling over. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and beamed at her.

“Glad to know you are okay,” he said and vanished almost immediately.

The grey-haired Doctor was much slower as he walked, as if he was weighing a thousand things on his mind. He nodded at his eighth self before he turned to Rose with a quiet smile that made her think that it was a rare thing for him to smile like that.

“Be strong, my love,” he said solemnly. “You have to be strong now.”

Rose’s brow furrowed but he didn’t elaborate. He turned back to his eighth self. “You’ll know when Rose is holding the bazoolium,” he said. “Remember, her name is Miranda.”

“What?” asked the Doctor but his twelfth self vanished, leaving only the two of them in the console room.

“What did he mean by that?” asked Rose, the memories of the four faces already blurring in her mind.

“I don’t know,” said the Doctor. “A bazoolium is a stone that tells the weather. It’s a trinket, nothing more. And I have no idea who Miranda is.”

“No, about me being strong,” said Rose. “Doctor, what’s going on?”

The Doctor closed his eyes briefly. “I am so sorry, Rose,” he said.

“You’re scaring me,” she said. “Doctor, what’s happened?” Then she glanced around the console room quickly. “Where’s Fitz? He said you were on your way to him.”

“Rose,” said the Doctor in a pained whisper and Rose started shaking her head.

“No,” she said, a tear falling down her cheek even as she shook her head in denial. “No, no, no, no.”

“He’s gone, Rose,” said the Doctor. “The Valeyard, he…”

“NO!” shouted Rose, stumbling away from the Doctor. “I told him to come with me but he refused. He risked his life...oh my god.” Rose’s knees buckled but she steadied herself before the Doctor could touch her. She whirled around and realised that the Doctor still had that look of anguish on his face but it was somehow deeper. “What else?” she asked. When he didn’t answer, Rose raised her voice. “Doctor, what else?”

The Doctor sighed deeply and stuck his hands in his pocket. “The Time Lords managed to repair the timeline once you and the Other reset it,” he said, hesitating before saying the next part. “What they couldn’t fix was the first event that triggered it.”

“The first event…?” asked Rose in confusion before her eyes went wide with horror. “Mum? Something’s happened to mum?”

“She’s fine, she’s alive,” said the Doctor hurriedly. “As is your father.” Rose inhaled sharply but the Doctor pressed on. “The Time Lords had to seal off that universe.”

“You mean, our universe,” said Rose.

He shook his head sadly. “That universe is no longer ours, Rose,” he said. “Where we are now is our universe. Amy and Rory are in this universe and we met Fitz in this same universe.”

“I don’t understand,” said Rose, numbly.

“That alternate timeline saw Jackie and Pete Tyler without children. It’s no longer the prime universe. Your existence contradicts that entirely,” he explained. “The Time Lords made a few alterations to retain this universe as the prime one by isolating only Jackie and Pete’s timeline as the other universe.”

“But we can still go to that universe, can’t we?” she asked.

“No, my darling,” said the Doctor regretfully. “If either of us were to enter that bit of universe, it would be like when the Other kissed you. Except this time, two or maybe even three universes will be destroyed.”

Rose just stared at him in silence before she nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said and turned around to go back deeper inside the TARDIS.

“Rose!” called the Doctor, pained at how she seemed to have simply shut down. “Rose, wait!”

He started after her but Rose kept walking and disappeared around the corner. When the Doctor went to follow her, he was met with a solid wall. He opened his mouth to call for her when he felt himself go cold all over. His eyes went wide with fear when he felt Rose block her side of the bond completely from him. He reached for her frantically but was met with the mental equivalent of a solid wall.

His wife had decided to shut him out completely.


End file.
